


Temporary Housekeeper

by rachelanhedonia



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Comedy, F/M, Melodrama, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 34,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24389788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachelanhedonia/pseuds/rachelanhedonia
Summary: What happens when NCT 127 falls for their new housekeeper?
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	1. Settling in Seoul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: panic attack

Han Hyeyoon picks a seat by the window. She’s leaving her hometown today in a bus with nothing but a green backpack and a heavy heart. Her mom is waving at her from outside with a sad but hopeful look on her mother's face. Mrs. Han wants to see her daughter happy again. She thinks going to Seoul may just be what her daughter needs to regain her old positive self again.

Hyeyoon waves back, giving her mom a small smile. As usual, her mom notices that her smile doesn't reach her eyes. The bus starts to move and in a few minutes it’s already running fast on the highway to Seoul. Hyeyoon’s been to Seoul only once to attend her aunt’s wedding but that was nearly 13 years ago.

Now, she’s 22 but with everything that she’s been through she feels as if she’s already in her late forties. She hugs her backpack, burying her face on its soft green fabric, and tries to sleep.

Hyeyoon hasn't had a good night's sleep for almost a year now. Whenever she closes her eyes, her mind keeps wandering back to thoughts of her dead father. She feels an immense amount of pain mixed with guilt towards her dad. He was the light of her life; her hope. When he died, she felt like she lost all her motivation to live. The only reason why she hasn’t tried to kill herself is because she didn’t want to hurt her mom and her older sister, Hyerim.

She's never talked to her mom or her unnie about it though; she didn’t know where to begin and she didn't want to be a burden. Although, they knew that their dad's death greatly affected Hyeyoon, her mom and sister found it difficult to make her open up to them. It was mainly because Hyeyoon was never the type to share what she felt or ask for help when she needed to. Instead, she was always the one taking care of her family members.

Hours pass and the bus arrives in Seoul. She is awakened by the noise of people getting their luggage out of the overhead compartment. She gets up, puts on her backpack and gets off the bus. She feels a bit nervous being alone in unfamiliar Seoul.

Will I be able to find auntie’s apartment? Hyeyoon hopes she won’t get lost on the way there.

She tries to find the right bus that would take her to the nearest subway station. The large station is bustling with people, something that Hyeyoon is not used to. In her small farming town, everyone knew each other. The people rushing around looked like cold strangers in her eyes.

"I don't want to ask for directions," she mutters under her breath.

She manages to find the right bus after a few minutes of searching. Hyerim actually offered to meet her at the bus station so she could accompany Hyeyoon to their aunt’s house. But, of course, Hyeyoon is stubborn so she insisted that she can get there by herself. Hyerim works as an office worker in Seoul so Hyeyoon doesn't want to bother her older sister, she knows her unnie would be tired from work.

Hyeyoon pays close attention to the streets the bus was passing and the signs around her. She cannot miss the stop or else she’d be lost and her money is only enough to get to her aunt’s place. The tall buildings of Seoul looked intimidating. She was used to seeing big open green fields but in Seoul she mostly sees concrete. She gets off at the correct stop and follows the crowd walking towards stairs that led to the underground subway station.

She buys a subway card, just as she was told to do and gets on the train. The subway was packed because it was rush hour. Some people shoved Hyeyoon around, trying to squeeze into the train. Hyeyoon clutched the straps of her backpack as she tried to maintain her balance. Luckily, she found a seat and settled down, placing her backpack on her lap.

City people always seem to be in a hurry. I don't undestand why they’re like that, she thought to herself.

She carefully listened to the announcements on the train and got off at the station that her aunt said. All she needs to do now is get on one more bus and she’ll be at her aunt’s place.

“Hyeyoon! I’m so glad you made it here safely! I was so worried you would get lost, Seoul can be very confusing,” Han Mihyang, Hyeyoon’s aunt hugs her as soon as she arrives in her apartment.

“Hello auntie,” Hyeyoon greets her with a polite bow as her aunt lets go of the hug.

Her 40-something aunt was practically bouncing with excitement as she guided her niece in. She was short and chubby with short hair that bounced along with her as she moved.

“Come in! Is that backpack all you’ve brought with you? You probably don't have a lot of clothes, we'll buy more clothes for you tomorrow! Give me your backpack."

“No, you don’t have to auntie,” Hyeyoon says.

"Nonsense," her aunt grabs her backpack and disappears to the bedroom.

Hyeyoon follows her but her aunt shooes her away, “You’re probably hungry! I’ve made dinner, make yourself comfortable and eat.”

“Have you eaten already auntie?”

“Yes, don’t worry about me!” her aunt says while coughing slightly. Her aunt was already busy unpacking Hyeyoon's stuff.

“Are you sick auntie? I can unpack my things myself,” Hyeyoon worries.

“It’s just a little cough, go on and eat. I want to unpack your stuff for you. Go on!”

Hyeyoon obeys her aunt and finds the kitchen-dining room where the table was already set for dinner. She sees a lot of food laid out nicely on the table. She couldn't possibly finish this all by herself.

"Is auntie expecting another visitor?" she wonders aloud.

Her aunt walks, "I asked Hyerim to come over so she could eat dinner here that's why I prepared a lot food! Eat a lot, okay?"

Her aunt grabs Hyeyoon's shoulders and let's her sit on the dining chair, "don't be shy and eat a lot! Look at you, you're so skinny! I'm just going to be at the living room to watch my favorite show."

Her aunt leaves and Hyeyoon hears the tv turn on. She sits alone in the dining table, not eating but just looking at the food. She feels hungry already but she wants to wait until her unnie gets here so they could share the meal together.

She hears a comedian say some joke on the tv that throws aunt Mihyang into a laughing-coughing fit. Hyeyoon is worried that her aunt might choke so she grabs a glass of water from the kitchen and goes to offer it to her aunt. Her aunt drinks the water with tears in her eyes from laughing and coughing so hard.

“I think your cough is serious auntie. How long have you had it?” Hyeyoon asks.

“I told you, it’s nothing to be worried about. Do you need any more rice?"

"No, the rice is enough for me auntie," she says and reluctantly goes back to the kitchen. She's starting to worry that her aunt may be seriously ill.

Hyeyoon grabs a glass of water and drinks. She looks at the clock, it's already 7 p.m. but her sister isn't here yet. Hyeyoon wonders what's taking her unnie so long. Is the rush hour traffic that bad?

She suddenly hears a crash that came from the living room. She immediately runs and screams in surprise when she finds her aunt seated limply on the floor. Hyeyoon rushes to the older woman, “auntie? Can you hear me? Are you okay?" But her aunt doesn't move or open her eyes.

Her hands are shaking as she tries to find her cellphone and dials for an ambulance. Her vision is starting to get blurry and she feels like she can't breathe. Hyeyoon's thinks what she just witnessed was too familiar. It was the same scene as the night her dad died: Hyeyoon in the kitchen. Her dad in the living room floor. Her aunt in the living room floor. Dead. Dead.

She’s beginning to hyperventilate. She hears knocking from the front door but she can’t get up and walk. She feels like she can’t get enough air into her lungs.

“He-help… help… I- I can’t. I can’t b-breathe,” she tries to say.

She tries to calm herself and manages to get to the front door of the apartment. She clutches her chest as she uses all her remaining strength to open the door. Her sister is standing outside the doorway shocked to see Hyeyoon looking pale and struggling to breathe.

“Hyeyoon! What’s happening to you? Where’s auntie?” Hyerim holds Hyeyoon’s shaking shoulders, trying to calm her younger sister down.

She could barely talk let alone keep herself upright. She points to the end of the hallway, sobbing with tears flowing like a river on her cheeks. Hyerim gently lowers her down to the floor and rushes to their aunt while dialing 119 on her cellphone.

“Hello? Can we please get an ambulance to…”


	2. Blur and Shock

Everything was blurry and fuzzy for Hyeyoon by the time the medical team arrived. Her head was spinning with thoughts of her father and her aunt. It could have been just seconds to an hour, Hyeyoon couldn't tell, but a lot was happening all at once. The only thing she could think about was "my aunt's going to die just like dad".

An emergency medical officer knelt beside her and tried talking to her but she couldn't hear a single word he said. She felt him put on various medical equipment on her while he continued to try to calm her down.

"I'm going to inject you with some medicine," he said to Hyeyoon.

Hyeyoon felt a sharp prick on her shoulder then fell asleep.

She woke up an hour later in an emergency room. A nurse who happened to pass by Hyeyoon's bed noticed she was awake. The nurse approached her and helped her sit up.

“Where’s my sister and my aunt?” she asks, her voice cracking. 

Hyeyoon feels weird, like she’s half asleep and half awake. Her brain feels foggy and sluggish.

“You mean patient Han Mihyang? She's with your guardian two beds away, she's just waiting to be transferred to her ward," the nurse tells her. 

Hyeyoon tries to stand up from bed but she wobbles and nearly loses her balance. The nurse stops her and tells her to lie back down.

“You had a very bad panic attack miss. You were given medicine that calms you down so you're going to feel sleepy and odd for a couple of hours."

So that's why she feels so strange. The nurse assists her back down on the bed. Hyeyoon's eyes immediately close as soon as her head hit the pillow. She felt the nurse putting the blanket on her before she falls asleep. That was the first time Hyeyoon has slept well for almost a year.

The days she spent in the hospital went by like a blur. Hyeyoon was extremely relieved that her aunt was going to be okay and had just fainted from fatigue. But her aunt had to be admitted in the hospital for a week because they found out she had pneumonia. Hyeyoon took care of her aunt while her older sister came by after work.

Hyeyoon was glad that her aunt was her usual cheerful self but she hated being in the hospital. The doctors would come in about twice a day and nurses came in nearly every hour. She didn't like talking to any of them because she thinks all they bring is bad news. Hyerim was the only one who talked with the doctor while Hyeyoon tried her best to block out their conversation.

If her older sister wasn’t there, Hyeyoon wouldn't know how she would manage. Plus, being in the hospital made it even more difficult for Hyeyoon to fall asleep. She wishes she had that calming medicine all the time so she could sleep soundly.

To Hyeyoon's relief, Hyerim didn't bring up her panic attack. Actually, Hyerim did want to ask Hyeyoon about it but she had a lot of things to handle right now. Plus, she was stressed from work. Their mom in the province was worried, but Hyerim reassured her that Hyeyoon and Aunt Mihyang were fine.

Hyerim and her mom know that Hyeyoon still hasn't moved on from her dad's death. She just wasn't the same Hyeyoon they knew. Hyerim suggested that they take her younger sister to a therapist but her mom said Hyeyoon would absolutely refuse. Hyerim turned to Aunt Mihyang who was the closest to their dad. Their aunt was the only sibling her dad had. 

Aunt Mihyang was the one who suggested that maybe taking Hyeyoon to Seoul to live with her for a while would be good. But, because they knew Hyeyoon wouldn't leave her mom alone in the province, they needed a good reason that could fully convince her.

Hyeyoon's mom wanted to suggest letting her attend a Seoul university since she knew that Hyeyoon wanted to become a physical therapist. But, getting into a Seoul university would be difficult for Hyeyoon since she only got a GED because she dropped out of highschool.

So Hyerim tried to talk to her sister, asking her what she wanted to do. She found out that Hyeyoon had thoughts of getting a license in massaging, which was the closest job to a physical therapist. It is one of the few things Hyeyoon thought she could be good at. She used to give her dad massages every day.

It took them months to convince Hyeyoon but she finally agreed. They told her that Aunt Mihyang offered to pay for her classes. They knew she wouldn't like it if Hyerim would pay for her schooling. But, in exchange Hyeyoon should live with her aunt to keep her company and help her aunt's business. 

Ms. Han Mihyang has been living alone for a couple of years after her husband divorced her. Her small business was making homemade side dishes that she sold to well-off households and at the same time she was a housekeeper for a Kpop boy group, whose name Hyeyoon and Hyerim can’t remember.

The two sisters are like yin and yang, they're opposites but they complement each other. Although Hyerim's older, she's the shorter one of the two girls. Her sharp monolids resembled her dad's while Hyeyoon, who is a little taller than average girls, had her mom's double-eyelids. It looks as if she's wearing a little bit of winged eye-liner all time, even though she doesn't wear make-up at all. Hyerim always complemented how pretty Hyeyoon's eyes were but Hyeyoon would also complement her unnie back, telling her that her monolids make her look like a cat.

Hyerim, during her school days, would always get on the honor roll and was voted class president. She was the smart hard-working type that teachers loved and fellow students admired. On the other hand, Hyeyoon wasn't the brightest student but everyone liked her for her caring and selfless personality. She always puts other people's needs before herself which is one of the reasons why she's very stubborn when it comes to asking for help. Hyeyoon's mom thinks her selflessness is both her strength and her flaw. Mrs. Han is happy that she has two daughters who get along so well. They were the happiest family in their small town before their father's death.

A day before Aunt Mihyang was supposed to be discharged from the hospital, the doctor spoke about her condition.

“Ms. Han Mihyang’s body, especially her lungs are weak from overwork and due to pollution. It would be good if you had an air purifier at home. However, the best option for you Ms. Han is resting for a couple of weeks in a place where the air is good, like the countryside. Something could happen if you went right back to work," the doctor said.

“What could happen doctor?” Aunt Mihyang asked.

“Ms. Han, you could develop another lung infection that could get you intubated and needing a mechanical ventilator to breathe. We don't want that to happen.”

After carefully discussing it with their mother, they all decided that Aunt Mihyang will stay with their mother for six weeks in the province while Hyeyoon will move in with Hyerim in Seoul. But Aunt Mihyang was worried that her customers would stop ordering side dishes from her. Hyerim reassured her that her delicious recipes would keep them loyal.

“But how about my housekeeping work? The company told me that if I stopped working, they’ll hire another person to do it! I can’t lose that job, they pay me really well!”

“Hyeyoon's classes don't start until two months from now. How about Hyeyoon do it while your resting?” Hyerim suggested.

“I think that’s a great idea! I know my dear niece Hyeyoon is good at cleaning and cooking! The boys will definitely like you,” Aunt Mihyang says happy at the thought that she could keep her two sources of income.

“I’ll call the company right away to tell them that I’ll be taking some time off but I have a replacement readily available!”

Hyeyoon didn't disagree with their sudden decision to make her work as a housekeeper for six weeks. She was here in Seoul to work.

A few days later, Hyeyoon finds herself facing another unfamiliar place. She’s walking around in the fanciest neighborhood she’s ever been, trying to find where the building was.

Hyeyoon looks around and spots the building with the same name that her aunt told her. It looked new and expensive. Even the lobby seemed so luxurious with its large floor to ceiling windows and modern light fixtures. She felt like she was even more out of place than she already is.

She pressed the elevator button to get to the 5th floor. Apparently, the group lives in two apartments; one in the 5th floor and the other one on the 10th. Her job is to clean both the apartments, do the laundry, and cook lunch whenever the guys were home. Being the housekeeper of ten men living in two apartments seems like a heavy job plus, in her spare time, her aunt made side-dishes. It’s no wonder her aunt fell ill from exhaustion.

She arrives on the 5th floor and rings the doorbell. Her aunt told her to ring the doorbell twice and wait for a couple of minutes, if no one answers the door then it means that nobody was home and she could enter the apartment by herself. All she needs to do is input the password on the door.

She waits just like her aunt instructed. No one answers so she lets herself in. Right away, she sees that there were a lot of men’s shoes scattered on the entryway. The rest of the house must be a mess too, Hyeyoon thought. There was a large shoe closet right at the entryway so she arranges each pair neatly inside it.

She heads further inside to where the living room was. She was pleasantly surprised to see that the place wasn’t as messy as she thought it would be. The space only had a large couch and a coffee table with various delivery boxes stacked on one corner. There were some mugs on the coffee table so she grabs those and heads to the kitchen. The kitchen is bright and open with a nice dining set in the middle. She begins by washing all the dirty dishes then she wipes all the counters.

Next, she goes into the three rooms and gathers all the laundry. She felt kind of overwhelmed at the amount of clothes that needed to be washed. She separates the whites from the colored ones and puts the white ones on the washing machine first.

While the laundry was being done, she decides to start vacuuming the living room. The sound of the vacuum filled the apartment and somehow, Hyeyoon finds herself feeling relaxed. She’s always liked cleaning. Doing household chores was something natural for Hyeyoon.

She was busily vacuuming the entire living room when she felt a strong arm gripping on her shoulder. She jumped from shock and turned around to face a tall black haired guy with a face that reminds Hyeyoon of a rabbit. A handsome rabbit.

“Who are you?” the unknown handsome guy demanded.

She bows politely and was about to introduce herself as the temporary housekeeper when three more handsome guys with various bright hair colors enter the apartment. The tallest guy had dark red hair, while a tan guy had purple hair with sparkling strands, and the one who looked like he was the youngest had pretty pink colored hair. She couldn’t stop herself from being stunned. They were gorgeous.

“Doyoung hyung who is this?” the tan guy asks.

All of four them were looking at her like she was a trespasser. She was still reeling in from shock, that she forgot what she was trying to say.

“I think she’s a sasaeng,” the tallest guy says.

“I can’t believe you have the nerve to enter our house like this!” the guy who was called Doyoung says to Hyeyoon fuming.

“Please get out now!” he pushes Hyeyoon to the door while she tries to explain that she’s their new housekeeper.

“I’m not Sasaeng! I don’t know who that person is! My name is Han Hye-“ she tries to explain but Doyoung cuts her off.

“I don’t want to know your name!” Doyoung grabs the back of her shirt and shoves her outside the apartment.

“If you do this again, I’m going to call the cops!” Doyoung says before he slams the door.


	3. An Awkward First Meeting

Hyeyoon stares at the door, dumbfounded at what just happened.

Inside the apartment, in the living room, Doyoung, Johnny, and Haechan are talking. Taeyong was in the bathroom, he wanted to be the first one to take a shower. They just came home from an early morning meeting at the company to talk about their upcoming schedule for their album repackage promotions.

“That sasaeng was the absolute weirdest,” Johnny says staring at the ceiling.

“Weird is an understatement! She’s scary and downright creepy, hyung!” Haechan exclaims while playing on his cellphone.

Doyoung remained quiet, trying to calm himself down. He felt so angry that a sasaeng had entered their dorm. Their apartment was supposed to be safe but how did security not stop her in the lobby?

“No… there’s something strange about her behavior. Why was she vacuuming?” Johnny wondered aloud.

Taeyong exits the bathroom with very wet hair. “Who’s next?” he asks.

“Me!” Haechan says and gets inside.

Taeyong notices that Doyoung was still pretty upset at what happened. He tries to reassure his younger member, “Doyoung, don’t worry. I’ll tell manager hyung about what happened as soon as he gets here.” Doyoung says nothing which makes Taeyong share a look of concern with Johnny.

“But Taeyong, that sasaeng was seriously the weirdest one,” Johnny says again, “why was she vacuuming our house?”

“All sasaengs are weird Johnny. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stole our laundry,” Taeyong says jokingly.

Johnny nods and stops staring at the ceiling. He starts texting Mark. He wanted to ask if he thinks it’s “normal” for a sasaeng to vacuum their dorm. Meanwhile, Taeyong goes into his bedroom to get changed but he instantly notices that his laundry basket was empty.

He immediately goes back to the living room and says, “what the fuck! My laundry has been stolen!”

Johnny stops typing and rushes to his bedroom which he shares with Haechan, to check if his laundry was also stolen.

"No way! Mine’s stolen too!” he shouts when he sees that his basket was empty.

Doyoung, who’s been quietly listening to Taeyong and Johnny, gets up from where he was seated.

“That’s it! I’ve had enough! I’m calling the cops!”

“Wait Doyoung, let me check something” Johnny says and goes into the utility room where the washer and dryer were.

Johnny suddenly had the strange thought that the sasaeng didn’t steal their clothes but instead, she did their laundry. His intuition was proven correct when he sees that the washing machine was running. Their colored clothes were piled neatly on the floor and he noticed that only their white clothes were in the washing machine.

“Our clothes weren’t stolen! Come and see!” he shouts at them.

Doyoung and Taeyong follow him into the utility room and were shocked to see that their laundry was actually getting washed and were not stolen. The three of them feel weirded out and confused at the same time. They collectively think sasaengs usually steal laundry, not wash them.

“What’s all the fuss about?” Haechan says following his three hyungs into the room.

“What the- the sasaeng did our laundry?” Haechan shouts, feeling the hair on his arms raising.

Despite the scary circumstances that they were in, Johnny couldn’t stop himself from laughing. He found it ridiculous that the four of them were staring at a washing machine while Haechan and Taeyong still had dripping wet hair and both were wearing nothing but a towel on their waists.

“I’m sorry but this situation is hilarious!” Johnny says in between laughs.

Doyoung rolls his eyes while Haechan and Taeyong look at him like he was crazy. Suddenly, their manager, Jung Ingyu, call them from the living room.

“What a relief, manager hyung is here,” Doyoung says. He’s the first one to get to the living room while the rest of the guys followed.

“Hyung there was-“ Doyoung was saying as he walked but stopped in his tracks when he saw the sasaaeng seated with their manager on the couch.

“What the fuck hyung? Why did you let that bitch inside?” Doyoung couldn’t control himself from swearing even though he was talking to their manager.

Haechan and Taeyong, who were still nearly naked, immediately ran into their rooms when they spotted the girl seated on the couch. Johnny crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the girl.

“Calm down Doyoung! First, please apologize to Ms. Han,” their manager said.

Doyoung was exasperated. Why should he apologize to the sasaeng who intruded their private space? He could feel his body heating up from anger. Johnny sensed that Doyoung was becoming increasingly irate so he lays a hand on the younger member’s back and pats him, trying to ease his anger.

“She’s not a sasaeng, she’s our new temporary housekeeper,” Ingyu explains, “her name’s Han Hyeyoon. She’s the niece of Auntie Han.”

Doyoung felt as if his soul left his body. Johnny immediately uncrossed his arms and looks away from Hyeyoon. Haechan and Taeyong, who were now dressed appropriately, came out of their bedrooms and smiled awkwardly at her.

“Hello, I’m Han Hyeyoon. I hope we’ll get along well for the next six weeks,” Hyeyoon introduces herself and bows. She tries to avoid eye contact with Doyoung, she feels a bit scared and intimidated by him especially at what he did to her. Doyoung was frozen in place, he was feeling embarrassed to death. They could feel the awkwardness, shame and tension in the air.

Johnny smiled and tried to ease the atmosphere. He crosses the space between him and Hyeyoon to shake her hand. "Hello, Ms. Han. I’m Johnny, it’s nice to meet you!”

Hyeyoon felt a little star-struck seeing him closer. His hands were soft but they also had a firm strong grip. For some reason, she thinks he's a foreigner. She knows Westerners usually shake hands instead of bowing. 

Haechan follows Johnny but instead he bows to Hyeyoon with an apologetic smile on his face. “We’re sorry for mistaking you as a sasaeng earlier,” he says scratching his head, trying his best to overcome his embarrassment. “I’m Haechan, the youngest member.”

“Yeah, we’re really sorry Ms. Han. I’m Taeyong and I’m the leader of NCT 127,” Taeyong says, giving Hyeyoon a smile.

Hyeyoon's heart skipped a beat at the pink haired guy's smile. He's the leader? Hyeyoon thought he looked like the youngest.

“I'm really sorrry about what happened Ms. Han. It was my fault, I should have told these guys you were coming instead of our usual auntie," Ingyu bows to Hyeyoon apologetically. Hyeyoon bows back to Ingyu and awkwardly smiles at the four guys standing.

"What happened to Auntie Han?" Taeyong asks.

"She got sick so she needs to rest for a bit," Ingyu replies and gets up from the couch.

"Well, that’s enough for introductions! Ms. Han, let’s go up to the 10th floor so I could properly introduce you to the rest of the members.”

Hyeyoon nods and bows to the four guys before following him out of the apartment. Doyoung stands in the middle of the room, not being able to say a word. Johnny laughs as soon as Hyeyoon and their manager leave.

Haechan groans in frustration, “that was so embarrassing!”

“I’m going to go to the studio. I don't know when I'll be back so don't wait up for me!” Taeyong pats Doyoung's back before leaving.

Doyoung wishes the earth would eat him up now.

“I’m really sorry about what happened downstairs,” Ingyu apologizes again to Hyeyoon. They were in the elevator, heading up to the other apartment NCT 127 occupies on the 10th floor.

“No, it’s okay. They must have been shocked to find a complete stranger in their house,” Hyeyoon reassures the man.

“We’re here,” Ingyu says and he leads Hyeyoon out of the elevator. They enter the apartment which had the exact layout as the one on the 5th floor.

Ingyu shouts, “guys come out for a sec, there’s someone I’d like you to meet!”

“Who is it hyung?” Mark was the first one to come out. He was texting Johnny, telling his older member that he thinks it's not weird for a sasaeng to vacuum their place. As he looks up from his phone, he stares wide-eyed as he sees that their manager wasn't alone but came with a young and pretty girl. 

Is she manager hyung's girlfriend? Wow, she's pretty but isn't that not allowed? Mark's thoughts were running a hundred miles a minute, trying to come up with reasons why their manager is bringing a girl at their dorm.

He bows politely to Hyeyoon and gives a look at Ingyu but their manager ignored Mark’s questioning eyes. He guides Hyeyoon to take a seat at the couch in the living room of the apartment.

“Oh- hello!” Jaehyun who just came out his room suddenly says when he sees Hyeyoon seated right next to their manager. Jungwoo, his roommate, was right behind him. He bows to Hyeyoon and gave Ingyu the same questioning expression just like Mark.

“Where’s Taeil and Yuta?” Ingyu asks.

“Taeil hyung! Yuta hyung! Come out to the living room for a bit,” Mark knocks on their bedroom door. “They probably couldn’t hear you because they’re playing really loud EDM inside.”

Taeil and Yuta came out of their rooms a few seconds later and were both surprised to see Hyeyoon. They politely bowed at her but kept quiet. The five NCT members were very confused and curious who the pretty girl in their dorm room was. They were all thinking she must be their manager's girlfriend and were dying to ask him about her.

“This is Ms. Han, she’s the niece of auntie Han and she’ll be our temporary housekeeper.”

"Temporary housekeeper?!" Mark repeated.

Ingyu found it amusing to see the surprise in their eyes. He knew they were assuming all sorts of things about Hyeyoon. 

“What happened to auntie?” Jaehyun asks.

“She got sick and she needs some time off to rest,” Ingyu answers.

Jaehyun nods in understanding while Mark says, “please tell her we hope she gets well soon.”

“Yes, I’ll tell her later,” Hyeyoon says. 

The people on this floor seem much nicer and friendlier, Hyeyoon thought to herself.

“I’m Yuta and this is Taeil hyung,” Yuta tries to introduce himself politely. Taeil waves and smiles at Hyeyoon.

“I’m Jungwoo, nice to meet you!”

“I’m Jaehyun, I hope you won’t be too tired from working here,” Jaehyun smiles, which reveals his dimple. Hyeyoon could feel her cheeks heating up.

The people on this floor are as handsome as the guys on the 5th floor. She’s never seen such handsome men in her life and they also all looked around her age. The guys back at her hometown weren’t as well-groomed and stylish-looking. She couldn't help herself but stare at their faces. 

“And I’m Mark. Let’s get along well, uh what should we call you? Auntie? I mean- uh…” Mark starts to mumble but Jaehyun stops him.

“I think Ms. Han would be appropriate, Mark.”

Hyeyoon nods in agreement. She manages to smile and make eye contact with the five men in the room but she suddenly remembers the laundry that she was doing on the 5th floor dorm.

“I have to go back and finish my work downstairs but I’ll come back to cook and clean for you later,” Hyeyoon says while bowing and walks out of the apartment in a hurry. She still had a lot left to do plus she soon has to make lunch for them.

"See you later then Ms. Han," she hears Mark say as she leaves.

"That was Auntie Han's niece?!" Yuta says as soon as he heard the front door close.

"I was asking myself the same question," Ingyu replies laughing.

"She's way too pretty to be her niece, I mean, I'm not saying auntie is ugly! Auntie Han is a great cook but you know..." Mark rambles.

"I guess we have to start washing our own underwear again," Taeil says.

"What? Why hyung?" Mark wonders then realizes what Taeil means. "Oh, you're right..."

Jungwoo laughs and heads back into his room with Jaehyun right behind. Jungwoo wonders if Hyeyoon's cooking is as good as auntie's. Meanwhile, Jaehyun thinks the next weeks are going to be interesting. Having a young and pretty housekeeper doesn't seem like a good idea.


	4. Laundry and Lunch

Hyeyoon arrives on the 5th floor and rings the doorbell. A minute later, Haechan answers the door. “Oh hi Ms. Han, please come in!”

Haechan didn't notice it earlier because of how embarrassed he felt but Ms. Han was actually pretty. Very pretty. He didn't realize he was blocking the way into the apartment. He mumbles, "sorry" and steps aside to let her in.

She bows and goes straight to the utility room. All the white clothes were done being washed and now she needed to load them into the dryer. Haechan followed her and asked if he could help.

“No, you don’t have to” Hyeyoon replies as she starts transferring the clothes into the drying machine. They were a bit heavy since they’re wet. She struggles a little causing a pair of white boxers to fall on the floor.

Haechan’s eyes widened when he saw the underwear falling. He used to not mind if auntie washed their underwear but if a young and pretty noona did it then it’s a bit…

Haechan’s mind starts drifting as he stared at the piece of underwear on the ground. Is Ms. Han older than him? She looks about Jaehyun hyung or Jungwoo hyung's age. Hyeyoon picks up the boxers nonchalantly and puts it in the dryer with the rest of the white clothes. Haechan coughs awkwardly, feeling oddly embarrassed. Hyeyoon continues to do her work and loads the colored clothes into the washer.

Haechan helps her put the clothes in without asking her. He feels awkward each time he spots a piece of underwear in the pile of laundry. “Um Ms. Han? Next time, can you leave our underwear please? We’ll wash them ourselves” Haechan asks after they finished loading the clothes.

“No, let me wash them. I'm your housekeeper so I should wash everything for you,” Hyeyoon answers in a very business-like manner. She's trying her best to stay calm depsite being alone with a very gorgeous purple-haired guy in a tight room. She doesn't really like it that he's helping her do the laundry but she doesn't know how to tell him to leave her alone to work.

“But noona, it’s a bit awkward if you do it…”

Hyeyoon's heart skips a beat when he suddenly called her “noona”. She turns to face Haechan who was standing right next to her, he wasn’t as tall as the other guys but still, he still towered over Hyeyoon. Because of the small space, they were standing very close to each other. Her heart was racing from how close they were.

Seeing her this near, Haechan could see how pretty her eyes looked but there was something sad about them. He didn't like that she was avoiding eye contact with him.

“Um… I don’t think you should call me noona,” she says, keeping her eyes on the sparkling strands on his hair. She couldn't handle looking straight into his eyes, she thinks she's going to melt from his gaze.

“Why not? I was born on 2000, are we perhaps the same age?”

“I was born on 1998 but I think Ms. Han would be more suitable...” If he keeps calling her noona, she's going to get a heart attack from how much her heart flutters.

She is a noona! Haechan doesn’t know why but he feels happy that he gets to call her noona. “But I’d like to call you noona, can’t I call you that way?” Haechan says, unknowingly acting cute in front of her.

Hyeyoon was losing her composure. How can he be cute and handsome at the same time? She finds it weird how her thoughts and heart is reacting to Haechan and even towards the other guys, maybe because they're so handsome that's why she's reacting this way?

“Uh… I guess you can?” she says, not really thinking straight.

“Great! I get to call you noona! We’ll also wash our own underwear, okay noona?” Haechan says, smiling widely at her. He doesn’t let her answer and he leaves the utility room.

Hyeyoon stares at the space where Haechan just was. She'll definitely need to control her heart for the next weeks if she wants to do her housekeeping job well. She heads out to the living area so she could finish what she was trying to do earlier: vacuuming. She looks for the vacuum and finds it in a corner in the living room. She vacuums the entire space quickly while no one was there. All of the group members must be in their bedrooms, she thinks.

She heads to the kitchen to start preparing lunch. She begins by cooking rice on the rice cooker. Then, she starts chopping up some vegetables for the chicken soup that she’s going to make. It’s a dish that she’s sure will suit their taste. She’s also ensuring that she has enough to feed all nine members plus their manager.

Meanwhile, Doyoung was on his way to the kitchen. He kept repeating, “I’m hungry” to himself while he walked. He didn’t know Hyeyoon would be there.

“I’m so hun-“ he stops when he sees Hyeyoon chopping up some vegetables. They stare awkwardly at each other in complete silence for what felt like an eternity. Both of them, recalling in their minds what happened an hour ago.

“You must be hungry… um, I’m sorry but can you wait a little bit? I just started cooking,” Hyeyoon breaks the silence. She hurriedly finishes chopping up the vegetables and fires up the stove.

Doyoung wants to slap himself for being such a rude idiot. He wishes the earth would just swallow him because of how embarrassed he felt. You should apologize to her! He thinks to himself.

“About earlier… I’m really really sorry. I really thought you were a sasaeng.”

“It’s alright,” Hyeyoon could sense his sincerity and he sounds like he’s really worried that he offended her. She reassures him with a small smile and Doyoung could feel that the awkward air clear up. He also couldn’t help but notice how pretty she looks with her smile.

“Was I too rough on you? Did you get hurt?” Doyoung asks. What if she got a bruise or a wound when I basically pushed her out of the apartment?! He goes closer to her and starts scanning her body.

“I’m completely fine,” feeling self-conscious by what he’s doing.

She walks towards the stove and starts putting the ingredients for the chicken soup in the pot to escape his gaze. But, Doyoung follows her with some spices in hand. He seems to know what he’s doing. Does he know how to cook?

“Please let me help,” he says as he grabs a long wooden spoon to stir all the ingredients in the pot. Hyeyoon steps aside to give him space.

“It already smells delicious,” Doyoung complements her as he stirs while pouring spices into the pot.

He really looks so much like a rabbit, a handsome white rabbit. For a second Hyeyoon got lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear what Doyoung said.

“Ms. Han, I think the laundry is already done. I can hear the washing machine beeping,” Doyoung repeated.

“The laundry? But the soup…”

“Don’t worry about the soup, I can continue cooking so you can finish the laundry.”

“Thank you,” Hyeyoon says before briskly walking to the utility room.

Although she doesn’t like getting help, she needed to finish the laundry on this dorm so she can get started on the 10th floor dorm. She puts the last load of clothes that needed to be dried and, while waiting, starts neatly folding the clean garments. Her aunt told her that once she’s done with their laundry, all she needed to do was fold them and leave them in the utility room. The boys are the ones who identify what they own and take it to their closets.

After she’s done, she heads back to the kitchen where she sees that the soup was already done cooking. Doyoung was carefully putting portions in bowls to serve the members. Hyeyoon checks on the rice cooker. She sees that the rice is done and starts putting rice on bowls. She and Doyoung make an unexpectedly good team in the kitchen. She’ll have to thank him once their done getting dinner ready.

“You two look like husband and wife preparing a meal for their children,” someone suddenly said.

Hyeyoon looks up from what she was doing to see who spoke, it was Ingyu, the group’s manager. He was wearing a fatherly smile on his face. Doyoung could feel his face heating up because of what his manager hyung said. What he and Hyeyoon were doing did feel very domestic... is this what married life is like? Helping your wife make lunch while she’s busy doing the laundry…

“Lunch is almost ready Mr. Park,” Hyeyoon says, interrupting Doyoung’s thoughts.

She starts setting the table and, with Doyoung helping her, it was ready in an instant. Ingyu calls the boys out of their rooms for the meal while Hyeyoon thanks Doyoung for helping her make lunch.

“It’s the least I could do after I kicked you out of the dorm earlier, I’m sincerely sorry for that.”

“Please, you can stop apologizing. It was an honest mistake, a misunderstanding,” Hyeyoon reassures Doyoung again.

“Hey Doyoung hyung, what are you talking with noona there?” Haechan suddenly comes into the room with a can of red bull in his hand and was wearing glasses.

“It’s a shame we lost that game Haechan!” Johnny says as he enters the room. He immediately takes a seat around the dining table and looks at the delicious food.

“Did you just call her noona?” Doyoung asks with a slightly accusing tone.

“Yes, why? Something wrong? You can’t call her noona though cause she’s younger than you haha!”

Doyoung scoffs but he retaliates, “but she can call me oppa.”

Hyeyoon’s heart skipped a beat, for the nth time today. 

She doesn’t know how to react to the entire situation in front of her. She turns her gaze away from the two of them, who remind her of bickering kids. She starts packing rice and chicken soup on large containers to take to the upstairs dorm.

“Enjoy your meal, I’m going to the 10th floor dorm now.”

“Noona please stay and have food first before you go,” Haechan says, trying to stop her.

“Thank you but I still have a lot of work to do, goodbye,” Hyeyoon leaves the apartment in a haste, carrying the warm food with her.

Doyoung and Haechan steal glances at each other while they ate their lunch. Johnny, who was observing their exchanging looks, was amused. Things are going to be even more interesting and chaotic than they already are in the dorm. Johnny likes where this is going.

Hyeyoon arrives in the 5th floor but she struggles to ring the doorbell because of the food she was carrying. Luckily, someone suddenly opened the door. It was Jungwoo, who was about to go down and visit the guys at the 5th floor. He was surprised to see Hyeyoon, he still wasn’t used to seeing her instead of auntie.

“Oh, hi Ms. Han! Let me help you with those,” Jungwoo grabs the largest container of food and opens the door wider so Hyeyoon could enter the apartment.

Hyeyoon thanked him and stepped inside. She went straight to the kitchen with Jungwoo behind her. After they placed the containers on the table, Hyeyoon started setting the table but couldn’t find any drinking glasses. There were only wine glasses and a couple of mugs on the cupboards.

“Are you looking for regular glasses, Ms. Han? We don’t have any,” Jungwoo says chuckling a little. He was busy opening the containers and smelling the food. Hyeyoon let out a small laugh at Jungwoo’s remark. He’s super handsome but kind of funny, she thought. But it’s kind of weird that they don’t have any drinking glasses…

“By the way this smells delicious,” he added.

Hyeyoon finishes setting the table and asks Jungwoo if he can call the others so they could eat. Jungwoo nods and goes out of the kitchen to call his members. Hyeyoon heads to the living room to see if it needed to be cleaned.

She was pleased to see that it didn’t need any cleaning. There were a lot of dumbbells on one side of the room but they looked too heavy. Since they weren’t really in the way of anything, she decided she won’t bother with them. She hasn’t started with the laundry so she began to collect their dirty clothes from their rooms.

The 10th floor guys run into Hyeyoon on their way to the kitchen to eat lunch. They smiled and greeted her “hello again Ms. Han”. Hyeyoon was happy that they were polite to her. Before coming here, she thought they would just ignore her since she was only their housekeeper and they were celebrities.

Hyeyoon successfully gathered all their dirty clothes. She stayed in the laundry room while she let the washing machine do its job; she didn’t want to go out because she might bump into one of the guys. Although they seemed nice and friendly, she wants to keep her distance from them. She didn’t want to get into the same heart fluttering situations that she had with Haechan and Doyoung at the 5th floor.

After more than an hour, she was done with all the laundry and folding. She headed to the kitchen to do the dishes but was pleasantly surprised there were no dirty plates or utensils in the sink and the table. Did they do the dishes themselves? Her aunt did tell her that the boys usually cleaned up their own mess.

She looks around and sees that she's done with all the house work that needed to be completed on the 10th floor. She'll just go back to the 5th and check if there were dishes she needed to do. On her way out of the apartment, she finds Taeil, who hasn’t spoken a single word to her, busy lifting dumbbells by himself in the living room. She bows and greets him.

Taeil just smiles at her and continues lifting. He grunts as he curls his arms; Hyeyoon could see his toned arms getting more defined when he did that. She had to fight the urge to just stand there and watch him work out.

I don’t want him to think I’m a weirdo, Hyeyoon thinks and peels her eyes away from Taeil.

“Hyung, where did you put the hair dryer again? I keep forgetting,” Jaehyun asks as he comes out of the bathroom.

Jaehyun didn’t expect to see Hyeyoon there, he lets out a startled, “oh- Ms. Han...”

Jaehyun just came out of the shower so he was wearing nothing but a towel. Hyeyoon could see his six pack abs glistening with small droplets of water. She's never seen someone with a body like a sculpture in real life. So sexy...

“It’s there in the box next to the sofa,” Taeil says, huffing while continuing his workout.

Hyeyoon quickly looks away and leaves the living room. She could feel herself blushing like crazy from what she just witnessed. She hears Jaehyun thanking Taeil and hears his footsteps right behind her.

“Wait a minute Ms. Han,” he calls her.

Hyeyoon stops walking and turns around to face him. It took a lot of effort for her not to look at his abdomen and concentrate on his face. But his face is just as distracting as his abs, Hyeyoon feels like she’s going to faint.

“Have you eaten lunch already? You look like you’ll pass out, please don’t overwork yourself and have some lunch before you go.”

Hyeyoon was going to decline but her head automatically nodded and she nearly sprinted to the kitchen just to get away from half-naked Jaehyun. There was nothing else on Hyeyoon’s mind other than, “too handsome and sexy... Too handsome and sexy…”

“We left food for you in the fridge Ms. Han,” Jaehyun says before he heads into his bedroom to get changed, a hairdryer in his hand.

Hyeyoon eats by herself as quick as she can. She was done cleaning up and was ready to leave when Mark suddenly enters the kitchen with Haechan.

“Noona!” Haechan exclaims.

“What?! You call her noona?” Mark asks.

“Yeah, got a problem?” Haechan says provokingly. Mark ignores him.

“Can I call you noona too Ms. Han?” Mark asks. His eyes remind Hyeyoon of a pleading puppy and she couldn’t say no. All she could do was nod as she tries to step out of the kitchen but was blocked by Haechan.

“Where are you going noona?”

“I’m going back to the 5th floor,” Hyeyoon says trying to move past Haechan.

“Why? Ah, are you going to do our dishes? Don’t worry about them noona, we already cleaned up!” Haechan says smiling.

“Really? You didn’t have to…”

“What’s this I’m hearing? Did you just call her noona?” Jaehyun says from behind Haechan. He was fully clothed and was in the living room with Taeil.

“Yes hyung, she told me I can call her that way!”

Mark was about to say something but Haechan cuts him off.

“Hyeyoon noona is okay with it so what’s wrong?”

Jaehyun isn’t convinced. He knows Haechan can be a bit of a brat and get away with doing what he likes. He also thinks that Hyeyoon seems to be the type that wouldn’t say no even if she doesn’t feel okay with it.

“Are you really okay with being called noona, Ms. Han?” he asks her gently.

Hyeyoon felt a soft pang in her heart with the way Jaehyun asked her. He said it so sweetly, like he really cared about what she felt. The fact that he’s also super handsome and his voice sounds like honey makes it even worse.

Hyeyoon figures there’s nothing wrong with being called noona. She thinks she'll eventually get used to it and her heart won't act crazy everytime. She reassures Jaehyun and tells her she’s not uncomfortable.

“That’s a relief, I thought Haechan forced his way on you,” he says jokingly and smiles, his dimples deepening.

Her heart skips a beat again. That dimpled smile is definitely someting that will take a long time to get used to...

“I’ll call you noona from now on too, okay? Hyeyoon noona?” Mark chimes in.

She nods. Haechan stops blocking her way and lets her through. She has nothing left to do so she guesses she can go home.

“I’m going home now, it was nice to meet all of you.”

“You’re leaving already? Can’t you stay awhile noona?” Haechan says; he’s starting to act cute again like he did at the utility room.

The other boys narrow their eyes at Haechan’s sudden aegyo. Although he’s normally like that around the members, he doesn’t do that to any of their female staff or to auntie. They’re starting to think that he's being a bit too forward to Hyeyoon. But isn’t it a bit too early for that? They just met her, Jaehyun thought.

“Why’s everyone gathered in the living room?” Yuta suddenly says coming out of his bedroom. Jungwoo also comes out of the same room, although Yuta’s roommate is Taeil. Jungwoo and Yuta were about to head out to go shopping.

“Why don’t you stay until dinner noona? Let’s eat together!” Haechan says.

“You know what? Why don’t we throw a samgyupsal welcome party for Hyeyoon!” Doyoung, who just came in to the apartment, suddenly suggested.

“That’s a great idea!” Jungwoo agrees. He'll never get sick of eating Samgyupsal, even if they've been having it for dinner for five nights in a row.

“Huh? You’re suddenly here?” Taeil asks Doyoung.

“I was wondering if Hyeyoon was still here, I wanted to give her help if she needed any.”

“Ya Doyoung hyung! You were so rude to Hyeyoon noona earlier! Have you apologized?” Haechan demands.

“What did he do?” Jaehyun asks..

“He thought noona was a sasaeng so he basically kicked her out of our dorm by force!” Haechan says laughing. Doyoung was getting embarrassed and a little annoyed with Haechan, but when is he never annoyed with Haechan?

“What? Did you hurt noona?” Mark asks. He steps towards Hyeyoon and holds her shoulders as he scans her body for any bruises or wounds.

“I already apologized! And I didn’t hurt her! Right, Hyeyoon? Oppa didn’t hurt you?” He subtly pushes Mark’s arm away from Hyeyoon’s shoulders. He doesn’t like to see his younger member holding Hyeyoon.

“Oppa?” Yuta repeats. Things were getting ridiculous and chaotic.

Haechan and Doyoung were clearly already whipped for Hyeyoon, Jaehyun could tell. Taeil and Yuta were amused by what was happening. Meanwhile, Jungwoo was just excited to eat Samgyupsal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I know I'm not a very good writer but I just wrote this out of my love for NCT 127 and because I find writing fun. I hope you enjoy reading it :) Please stream Punch MV and don't forget to vote for our dear NCT 127!


	5. Injury

Hyeyoon ended up staying way past her workday. The boys bought a lot of meat and everyone, except Taeyong who was still in the studio, gathered at the 10th floor dorm for the “welcome party dinner”. She found herself enjoying being with the group. They were so warm and friendly to her. Plus, they were funny and very easy-going. She was smiling and laughing with everyone.

It’s been years since she got to hang out like this because she spent most of her teen years taking care of her dad. It feels like she was making up for the lost time that she didn’t get to live as a normal teenage girl.

Hyeyoon received a text from Hyerim, her older sister, asking her where she was. She checked the time, it was almost 9 p.m. She didn’t realize it was already late, she was enjoying herself way too much that she lost track of the time. She thought her unnie must be very worried for her. She was supposed to be home before 5 pm.

“Everyone thank you for the dinner. I have to get going now,” she starts to get up.

“You’re very welcome noona!” Haechan says.

“Is your home far from here? Do you want me to take you home?” Doyoung says getting up as well.

“No, let me take her home,” Haechan protests and gets up too.

“I can go home by myself.” Hyeyoon bows and rushes out before anyone could stop her.

Haechan and Doyoung briefly looked at each other intensely before they sat back down. Johnny laughed at the two and bluntly says, “do you two like her or something? Cause you’re being too obvious it’s funny!”

Doyoung gets taken aback and blushes. He takes a sip of his drink, trying to hide his face. Meanwhile, Haechan sits straighter and says, “yeah, I like her.”

Doyoung spits out his drink.

Hyeyoon zips her jacket all the way up as she exits the building. She felt the night air rush to her as soon as she walked out the doors. Somehow, she feels as if Seoul is colder than her hometown. Despite how cold she felt, she smiles as she thinks about what happened to her today.

Honestly, Hyeyoon thought working for idols, especially a boy group, would be tough. She expected to be ignored and she thought she would have a really heavy workload considering that she’ll have to clean up after nine celebrities plus a manager.

NCT 127, she can now perfectly remember their group name, is the opposite of what she expected. They feel like guy friends that Hyeyoon has never had. Although, her heart flutters almost all the time whenever she looks at their handsome faces. She’s never experienced these “heart fluttering” moments before so she doesn’t know what to do.

She’s already walking in the parking lot beside the building. The place was dark and Hyeyoon felt a bit scared that someone dangerous could be lurking in the shadows. Her older sister warned her to be careful on her way home since Seoul is not like her hometown; she can’t just walk anywhere since the streets aren’t safe.

Hyeyoon looked around and quickened her pace. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder which made her scream in fear. She pushed away the person that touched her and ran as fast she could. But she tripped and fell hard on the ground.

She looked behind her to see who the person was. It was a man with pink colored hair that seemed familiar but because the place wasn’t well-lit, she couldn’t see his face.

“Ple-please don’t! Don’t hurt m-me! I don’t have any any m-money to give give you!” Hyeyoon says as she tries to get up from the ground. Her knees and ankle hurt but Hyeyoon bites her teeth through the pain.

“Ms. Han, it’s me. Taeyong,” the man says. He was approaching her slowly, as if he was trying not to scare her.

Hyeyoon was too scared to think properly and she didn’t believe him. She tries to walk away but falls back to the ground. Luckily, the man was fast enough to catch her. His face was finally close enough for her to see clearly, and he really was Taeyong.

Taeyong was going home from the studio when he saw Hyeyoon walking. He parked his car and ran up to her so he could offer to give her a ride home but he didn’t expect that this would happen.

He had an arm around her waist and another on her shoulders so she wouldn’t fall. He looked at her straight in the eye with a face filled with worry, “are you okay? I’m so sorry if I scared you.”

Hyeyoon has never been held this way by any man, let alone a very handsome man. She thought Taeyong’s face resemble those handsome male heroes from animated movies and games.

He held her so close she could smell his perfume. It reminded her of the smell of the woods after a light rain. She used to take a walk whenever she could to a woodland near her house in her hometown. His smell made her feel calm and at ease but being held this way and seeing his face this close, her heart beat was going insanely fast.

“I’m okay… it was my fault for thinking you were a robber or something,” she says looking away from him.

He must have noticed that she was getting uncomfortable from their close proximity so Taeyong lets go of Hyeyoon’s waist but keeps an arm on her shoulders so he could support her. He was worried she might fall again. He hopes she’s not seriously injured.

“Were you on your way home from working in our dorm?”

She nods while squeezing her eyes shut from the pain she feels on her legs. Her knees feel like they were burning, she probably scratched them badly when she fell. Taeyong could see she was trying to hide that she was in pain.

“Let me drive you home,” Taeyong says. He suddenly carries Hyeyoon in his arms, bridal style, and starts walking towards a black car parked nearby.

Hyeyoon didn’t know it was possible for her heart to beat even faster than it already was. She was afraid he could hear her erratic heart beating but Taeyong’s mind was occupied with thoughts of concern for Hyeyoon. He was very worried that her injuries were bad. He blames himself for causing this to her.

“You don’t have to…” Hyeyoon says but Taeyong didn’t say anything and kept walking.

He unlocks the car and opens the passenger door, all while carrying Hyeyoon in his arms. He gently places Hyeyoon in the seat, being very careful not to cause her anymore pain. He turns the light on inside the car then he kneels beside her to have a look at her injuries.

The knee parts of her jeans were torn and he could see small but very red scratches through the fabric. Those kinds of wounds sting very badly. She’ll feel like her skin got burned, he thought to himself. He moves on to examine her ankle by very gently moving them.

She sucked in her breath from the pain the movement caused but she was able to move her foot around. Upon seeing that she could move her foot, Taeyong was relieved that her ankle bones weren’t broken. At the most, they were probably strained but she’ll need to rest and put ice on them.

Taeyong smiles and looks up at Hyeyoon, “looks like nothing’s broken.”

Her mind was spinning with thoughts of Taeyong holding her and at the same time, the pain she was feeling. She just nods and tries her best to keep herself calm from the sweet gaze that he was giving her.

Taeyong adjusts Hyeyoon in the seat so her legs were inside the car and puts on the seatbelt for her. He closes the door and hops in to the driver’s seat.

“Where do you live?” he asks while starting the engine.

Hyeyoon tells him her address and he quickly types it in the screen on the car. She’s never had a ride in a car this fancy and high tech before. It’s amazing how advanced everything seems to be in the city, unlike in her provincial town.

“Let’s stop by a pharmacy first before I take you to your house,” Taeyong speaks as he drives.

Hip-hop music is playing in the car. Taeyong was now relaxed knowing that Hyeyoon wasn’t badly hurt. She peeked at him whenever she could and she’d occasionally see him bopping his head to the beat of the music. He looked so cute that it’s easy to mistake him as one of the younger members in NCT 127.

“I actually composed this song, but it hasn’t been released yet,” Taeyong suddenly says with a small smile.

“It sounds great,” Hyeyoon tells him. This makes Taeyong smile even wider.

He takes a quick look at her and says, “really?”

Taeyong looks back on the road but continues talking, ”you’re the first person to hear this song. I was worried you wouldn’t like it but I feel happy to know you think it sounds great.”

The song ends and another one begins. The song reminds Hyeyoon of old arcade games she used to play with her sister when they were kids. It sounds very unique.

Hyeyoon picked up the voices of the members singing and rapping. She could tell right away that Taeyong and Mark were the ones rapping in the song. She thinks it’s really cool that their whispering the lyrics instead of just typically rapping.

“This is our newest song, Punch,” Taeyong tells her. “We’re going to release it soon.”

Hyeyoon could hear the excitement in Taeyong’s voice. He would sing the English part of the chorus with a facial expression that reminds Hyeyoon of an excited puppy. This guy is too cute.

The song finishes in time for them to arrive at the pharmacy. Taeyong parks the car infront of the shop.

“I’ll be right back,” he says giving her a gentle smile before he leaves the car. He buys an ice pack and other stuff that he knows she will need for her wounds.

He comes out of the pharmacy and walks to the passenger door. He opens the door and gently places the ice pack on Hyeyoon’s injured ankle. Then, he puts an anti-septic cream on Hyeyoon’s wounds. After that, he covers them up with band aids.

Hyeyoon felt very conscious of Taeyong’s hands on her legs during the entire time he tended to her wounds. She did her best to keep calm by concentrating on her breathing but she couldn’t control her hyperactive heart.

Taeyong smiles at Hyeyoon one more time before he closes the door and moves back to the driver’s seat. He drives the car to Hyeyoon’s place. They were silent during the entire car ride, with only the music filling the silence. But, they both felt the silence in the car wasn’t awkward at all. It was comfortable.

“Is this the right place?” Taeyong asks as he stops the car infront of an old apartment building. It looked like it had seen better days but the place looked sturdy and clean.

“Yes, thank you for driving me home,” Hyeyoon says while she unbuckles the seatbelt.

Taeyong steps out of the car and opens the door for her, “I’ll walk you to your apartment.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to…”

“No, I insist Ms. Han. What floor do you live? I don’t want you to fall on your way there,” Taeyong says as he helps her out of the car.

“I live in the 7th floor,” Hyeyoon answers.

Since the building doesn’t have an elevator, she knows it would take her ages and a lot of pain to get to her sister’s apartment. She guesses she’ll just allow Taeyong to help her.

“Do you live with auntie? Is she at home?” Taeyong asks as they climb the stairs.

“No, I live with my sister. Auntie’s actually resting in my hometown, with my mom,” she answers.

Taeyong’s arms were around her shoulders as they climbed the stairs. It took quite some time for them to get to up the floors because Hyeyoon struggled to walk. Taeyong thought it would be better if he just carried her.

When they reached the third floor, he tells her “I’ll carry you Ms. Han, it would be faster and more comfortable for you that way.”

He doesn’t wait for her to respond and immediately carries her bridal style again. Hyeyoon feels flustered that she doesn’t know what else to do or say. She continuously apologizes for causing him this much trouble but Taeyong shakes his head.

“I should be the one apologizing to you Ms. Han, your body’s probably already tired from cleaning our dorms all day plus the harsh way Doyoung kicked you out this morning!” he says, laughing a little bit when he remembered Doyoung’s face.

Hyeyoon has nearly forgotten everything that happened today because of this moment she’s sharing with Taeyong right now. At first she thought he seemed like he needed to be taken care of, but here she was being taken care of by him.

“Ms. Han, can you wrap your arms around my neck?” Taeyong asks.

Hyeyoon blushes and asks him why. If she puts her arms around his neck, she thinks it would be more intimate and it would seem like she’s hugging him.

“It would be easier for me to carry you,” he tells her with a gentle smile.

“Am I too heavy?” she worries.

Taeyong shakes his head. He actually felt like he was just carrying a heavy box, she was very light.

“Okay…” she slowly wraps her arms around his neck, blushing even harder.

For Taeyong, it feels comfortable having her in his arms like this. He adjust her and then he starts going up the stairs.

“By the way, what happened to auntie?” he asked as he walked.

“She got pneumonia and her lungs are weak so her doctor told her she needed to rest for six weeks,” Hyeyoon answered.

“Ah, so that’s why you’re our temporary housekeeper?”

Hyeyoon nodded and Taeyong gave her another smile. He looked like he didn’t have any difficulty carrying her.

After multiple flights of stairs, they arrived on the 7th floor. Taeyong felt a bit winded out but he was used to it. The tough choreography NCT usually does comes in handy during this time.

As he puts Hyeyoon down, Taeyong’s body feels empty. It was warm and comfortable when he could feel her wrapping her arms on his neck. He doesn’t want to let go of her. His arm lingers on her waist for a bit before he fully lets her go.

“Is this your apartment, Ms. Han?”

She nods and bows 90 degrees, “thank you very much.”

Taeyong shakes his head and says, “no, please don’t bow like that Ms. Han. I should be the one bowing and apologizing!”

Hyeyoon laughs awkwardly and starts opening the door.

“Um… should I introduce myself to your sister? I should tell her about what happened and apologize for causing this to you.”

Hyeyoon panics, “no!” she says a bit too quickly.

Taeyong notices the panic in her eyes which he finds adorable. Ms. Han is so cute and pretty, he thinks to himself.

“I mean, I think my sister is already asleep since it’s already a bit late…”

“Really? Oh, I guess I’ll introduce myself another time. I’ll go now then.”

“Bye, drive safely Mr. Taeyong.”

“Wait, I almost forgot to tell you that it’s okay if you don’t come in to work tomorrow,” Taeyong tells her.

“I’ll explain everything to the company. You should take the day off tomorrow to rest so your injuries can heal.” He waves goodbye and heads down the stairs before she could say anything.

Taeyong gets in his car and drives home. He takes a look at the passenger seat and smiles. I don’t know much about Ms. Han but she seems like a very nice person. I want to spend more time with her and get to know her more, he thinks.

Hyeyoon sighed, it’s only her first day as NCT 127’s temporary housekeeper but she somehow got mistaken as a trespasser, got kicked out, met the most handsome men she’s ever laid eyes on, had a samgyupsal party with these handsome men, got injured, and got carried like a bride by a guy who looks like he stepped out of the fantasy world, all in ONE day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to keep as much accuracy as possible but we all know Taeyong can't drive irl hahaha I wasn't going to update this today but Punch just won at MCountdown today so I'm posting this earlier to celebrate!


	6. A Box of Chicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A box of take-out chicken brings back memories of Hyeyoon's dead father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We find out the story behind what happened to Hyeyoon's father.

It’s the next day and Hyeyoon is awoken by her older sister who was about to head out for work. “I left breakfast at the table. You can call me anytime if you need anything, okay?” Hyerim says before leaving.

Because of how tired she was from her first day as NCT 127’s housekeeper, Hyeyoon had no trouble sleeping. Still in bed, She stretches her body and yawns. She suddenly blushes as she remembers everything that happened last night. Thoughts of Taeyong holding her close, his smell, and him taking care of her wounds made her heart beat faster.

She gets up and slaps herself, “get a grip Hyeyoon!”

She doesn’t want to develop a crush on Taeyong or any of the guys she works for. If she allows herself to develop feelings for them, it’s only going to make working unnecessarily awkward for her. Also, she’s sure that it’ll never work out well for her. They probably don’t see her attractive at all since they get to see pretty girl groups everytime they work.

She looks at her injured ankle and tries to move it. It’s swelled up but it doesn’t feel too painful. She slowly gets up from bed and heads out to eat breakfast in the kitchen. She’s takes her time eating since she’s got nothing to do today.

She spends most of the day in bed; an icepack on her swelled ankle and a book about physical therapy in her hand. She admits she is pretty excited to start going to classes next month. She’d occasionally get up to exercise the injured ankle whenever she took breaks in her reading.

Hyeyoon’s phone rings, her unnie just sent her a text saying she doesn’t need to cook dinner. She checks the time, it already 5 p.m. The day flew by quite fast even though Hyeyoon was mostly in bed. The swelling in her ankle has greatly reduced and she could walk with almost no pain now.

An hour later, Hyerim arrives in the apartment. “I’m home! I bought this for our dinner,” she says as she takes her shoes off.

Hyerim had a box in her hand. It was take-out from a popular chicken restaurant chain in Korea. Hyeyoon suddenly got reminded of their dad who used to bring home the same thing whenever he got back from his work trips.

Their dad was a delivery truck driver for a big company. He drove all around South Korea and would be away for days to weeks. He was a great father to Hyerim and Hyeyoon. Mr. Han would never forget to bring something home whenever he got back from work. It would sometimes be toys for the girls but most of the time it would be food. Take-out chicken was the girls’ favorite.

Unknowingly, tears started to form in Hyeyoon’s eyes as she thought of what happened to their dad. She was fifteen when he got into a very awful accident while doing a delivery. He had to get three surgeries and was in the intensive care unit for almost a month. She really thought she would lose her dad then and there. It was the worst month in her life.

She was overjoyed when her dad finally got out of the ICU. Hyeyoon thought their life would go back to normal but it didn’t. The accident caused the entire left side of Mr. Han’s body to be paralyzed. He couldn’t go back to work and he needed a caretaker to tend to his everyday needs.

Hyeyoon’s heart broke when she saw her dad for the first time after the accident. He was in a wheelchair, unable to speak. He could only lift his right hand up as if trying to reach out to Hyeyoon and her family. He was a great father, a loving husband to their mom, and a good hardworking man but why did this bad thing have to happen to him? It’s so unfair!

Their family couldn’t afford to hire someone to take care of their father. Hyeyoon made the tough decision to quit school so she could be the one to take of their father while their mother worked two jobs to make ends meet. Hyeyoon knew her older sister couldn’t drop out.

At that time, Hyerim was a senior and got offered a full scholarship to a Seoul university if she maintained her perfect grades. Hyerim felt guilty that Hyeyoon had to be the one to sacrifice her education. But, Hyeyoon never held anything against her sister or her family. She was naturally selfless but more so for her family. She was willing to put aside her own dream of graduating and going to a university in Seoul.

Hyeyoon remained positive that her dad would be able to recover. They took him to physical therapy sessions twice a week even though it was expensive. She took care of him and even their mother, who was constantly exhausted and stressed from working two jobs. She thought that if she just remained hopeful, things will get better.

But a year ago, she lost all her hope when her dad suddenly died. Hyeyoon was in the kitchen cooking food while she left her dad in the living room with the tv on. It was supposed to be an ordinary night. Her mom would have arrived soon and they would have eaten dinner together while Hyeyoon would feed her dad.

But before any of that could happen, Hyeyoon heard a loud bang from the living room. It was as if something heavy fell on the floor. She immediately rushed to living room only to see her father lying lifelessly on the floor. It was very similar to what happened to her Aunt Mihyang just a week ago.

Until today, Hyeyoon doesn’t know how he fell off his wheelchair. She immediately called her mom because she didn’t know what do. Her mother was already nearby but by the time the medics came to their home, her father was dead.

He suffered from a heart attack, that’s what the doctor said. But Hyeyoon blames herself for what happened. If only she called for an ambulance first before calling her mom, then maybe her dad would still be alive today. She hasn’t slept well ever since her father’s death.

Hyeyoon’s mom and sister knew she blamed herself. They tried everything to cheer her up but Hyeyoon was never the same since that day. That’s why they were so glad when she finally agreed to go to Seoul and study to become a licensed masseuse. It gives them hope that maybe Hyeyoon would be able to move on with her life and accept her father’s death.

When Hyerim saw the tears on her sister’s eyes, she immediately rushes to her dongsaeng and hugs her. “Oh Hyeyoon, I’m sorry…” she says as she strokes her sister’s hair.

Hyeyoon tries to stop her tears from falling but she couldn’t. She buries her head in her sister’s shoulder and sobs. Hyerim hugs her tighter as she tells her repeatedly, “it’s okay to cry Hyeyoon, it’s okay to let out your tears.”

“I miss him so much unnie… I think about him every day and night,” Hyeyoon says in between sobs. This was the first time Hyeyoon has cried like this to her older sister.

“I miss him too Hyeyoon.”

“I-it was me... my fault-“ Hyeyoon starts to say but chokes on her words.

“Hyeyoon, look at me,” Hyerim tells her. She raises her younger sister’s face so she could look at her in the eye.

“It. Was. Not. Your. Fault.”

Hyeyoon looked at her older sister’s eyes. She saw herself being reflected in her unnie’s clear eyes. She wanted to believe that Hyerim really meant what she said. But this one breakdown won’t immediately erase the belief that she’s been holding on for nearly a year.

She looked away from her sister and wiped the tears in her eyes. Hyerim hugged her sister one more time then gave her some tissues so her dongsaeng could blow her nose.

“Let’s eat,” Hyerim says and opens the box of chicken.

Hyerim was glad Hyeyoon cried infront of her tonight. This was a step towards the right direction. She understood that it would take time for her dongsaeng to stop blaming herself. But, she silently promised that she’ll be there for her younger sister every step of the way until Hyeyoon will finally accept what has happened


	7. Drive-thru

Hyeyoon couldn’t deny that she was excited to go to work at NCT 127’s dorm. She wanted to see their handsome faces again, especially Taeyong. She knew she shouldn’t feel this way but with her zero experience when it came to boys, she found it difficult to control her emotions.

She rings the doorbell of their 5th floor apartment. She waits for a couple of minutes but no one answers. They must be working today, she thought. She enters the apartment and starts doing her work.

She decided to vacuum their bedrooms today. She didn’t notice it before but Taeyong’s room had various doodles on the walls. Some of the drawings where familiar characters to Hyeyoon but the others were abstract figures and random English and Korean words. She took a moment to admire the drawings but then continued on her work.

By noon, no one was still home and she was already done with cleaning the fifth floor apartment and doing their laundry. I don’t need to cook for their lunch today, she thinks.

She goes up to the 10th floor and starts working there. She noticed that the 10th floor needed less cleaning than the 5th. Especially the room that Jungwoo and Jaehyun occupied together, it was immaculately clean. She couldn’t find a single speck of dust in it.

By 3 p.m., she was done with all her tasks. She could go home now since there was no more work left to be done but she decided to stay for a little while. Maybe they’ll be home soon, she figures. She just really wants to see their faces just once today. But it was almost 4 o’clock in the afternoon and still they weren’t home.

I guess I won’t see them today. Hyeyoon sighs and leaves their apartment.

The next day Hyeyoon goes to work without expecting to see the members. She did her tasks and as usual finished early since she didn’t need to cook lunch. She looks around the tidy apartment one more time before heading outside to go home. She thinks it’s better this way. Not seeing them will make it easier for her to just work without making it personal by getting her feelings involved.

She reads a text she received from her older sister as she waits for the elevator to come up. “We both don’t have work tomorrow, right?”

“Yes,” she replies.

“Great! Let’s go out and go clothes shopping tomorrow!” her sister replies.

Hyeyoon smiles. She’s always been close to her older sister but ever since that night she cried infront of her unnie, they’ve become even closer than ever. Hyeyoon feels quite excited, she hasn’t properly explored Seoul yet even though she’s been here for nearly three weeks now.

The elevator doors open with NCT 127 inside. Hyeyoon was still looking at her phone that she didn’t notice they were there.

“Noona!” Haechan was the first to get out of the elevator.

Hyeyoon looks up from her phone and is surprised to see all of them staring at her. She moves aside to make more room for them to get out of the elevator. She puts her phone away and smiles at them. Her eyes automatically search for Taeyong and spots him smiling brightly at her. She blushes and looks away from him.

“We heard you got injured because of Taeyong hyung! Are you okay now?” Doyoung asks.

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine now,” she replies.

“That’s a relief! We were so worried and we didn’t even get to see you yesterday!” Haechan says.

“Are you going home now, Ms. Han?” Taeyong asks.

She nods. She somehow finds it difficult to talk when Taeyong speaks to her.

“Stay for a bit noona! Let’s have some afternoon snacks together!” Haechan says making a cute face.

Although Hyeyoon would love to stay, she declines. She doesn’t want to overstep her boundary as their housekeeper. She’d rather be not friends with them, even if they are fun to be with and they make her happy.

“Please stay, Hyeyoon. Oppa bought a lot of delicious food,” Doyoung shows her the plastic bags filled with snacks in his hand.

“Hyung, don’t force her to stay,” Jaehyun suddenly speaks out. “Ms. Han is probably tired from working,” he continues.

“You can go ahead Ms. Han,” Jaehyun says and motions for her to get in the empty elevator.

“Goodbye,” she bows and gets inside.

They wave goodbye to her as the doors close. She feels glad that Jaehyun spoke out. She was about to say yes and stay if it wasn’t for him.

“Hyeyoon noona must be tired! Ya, Doyoung hyung! Why did you ask her to stay?” Haechan says.

They’re still outside their apartment, walking towards the front door to their dorm.

“What? You were the first one who asked her to stay!” Doyoung protests.

“Huh? Was it me?” Haechan pauses and thinks for a moment. “Oh right, sorry it was me.” He says and dashes for the door.

Doyoung runs after him and tries to smack his back.

“Oh, I suddenly remember that I need to go get something from somewhere,” Taeyong suddenly says.

“What something?” Johnny asks. Jaehyun is suspicious but he doesn’t say anything.

“Just something, go and eat the snacks without me!” Taeyong says and runs for the stairs. If he waits for the elevator, he might not make it in time to meet Hyeyoon at the lobby.

He reaches the lobby and sees Hyeyoon walking out of the building. He feels a little bit breathless from running down the stairs so quickly. He momentarily catches his breath before sprinting after her.

“Ms. Han!” he calls to her but she didn’t hear him.

“Hyeyoon!” he tries again and this time she looks behind her.

Taeyong catches up to her and she’s shocked to see him. Why is he out here? I thought they were going to eat, she thinks.

“Let me drive you home,” he tells her, trying his best not to pant after running so fast like he was competing in the Olympics.

“You don’t have to Mr. Taeyong.”

“Just call me Taeyong oppa, Hyeyoonhe says, to her surprise. “Of course, only if it’s comfortable for you!” he adds.

She wants to call him oppa but her mind tells her she shouldn’t. For some odd reason, she feels as if they’re being watched. It’s around 4 in the afternoon so it’s still light outside and people might be watching. She learned about sasaeng fans who follow their favorite celebrities even to their private homes.

“I don’t think I’m comfortable to call you oppa yet…” she speaks.

“It’s okay, but can I call you Hyeyoon? Instead of Ms. Han,” he asks her.

She nods and this makes him smile widely. He starts walking to the parking area and she reluctantly follows him. Her aunt has never mentioned that the members drove her home. She thinks this is a bit crossing the line but Taeyong seems so eager to drive her home that she just followed him to his car.

He puts the seatbelt on for her, making her blush. She catches the smell of his perfume again, the scent makes her feel comfortable and eases a little of the nervousness she feels with being alone with Taeyong.

“How’s your ankle?” he asks while he drives.

“It’s fine now, thank you for treating me that night.”

“I should compensate you for causing your injury, how about I treat you to a meal?”

A meal? Just the two of us?! Like a date? Hyeyoon’s mind was screaming but she could only look at Taeyong with wide eyes. She catches herself and fixes her facial expression. She doesn’t want to look too pleased about being offered a meal.

She doesn’t answer his question but after a while she finally says, “you don’t need to do that… oppa.”

She just called me oppa, Taeyong thinks. He tries to suppress his mouth corners from going up and plays it cool.

“Why not?” Taeyong asks.

He suddenly remembers her smiling at her phone while they met her outside the apartment. Does she perhaps have a boyfriend? He feels utterly upset at the thought that she’s already taken.

“Oh, sorry. Your boyfriend might not approve of you eating alone with another guy,” he says frowning a bit.

“I don’t have a boyfriend…”

Relief washes over Taeyong and this time he couldn’t suppress his smile anymore.

“How about a drive-thru meal then? Let’s have a quick snack while on our way to your home?”

She’s never tried going to a drive-thru before. They didn’t have any of those in her hometown. She wanted to say no, to keep herself distant from him, but her head automatically nodded a yes. A quick meal isn’t so bad, right?

Taeyong changes directions and finds the nearest fastfood restaurant that had a drive-thru. He asks her what she wants but she just tells him he can order anything. He doesn’t question her any further and orders two sets of burger and fries meals.

Hyeyoon was fascinated by the whole drive-thru experience but made sure it didn’t show in her face. This was her very first time going through one. She finds it so interesting how ordering this way is fast and super convenient.

Taeyong finds a shaded spot and parks his car. He opens the paper bag and gives Hyeyoon her food. She mumbles a thank you but she feels too self-conscious to eat. She waits for him to take a bite before she starts eating too.

They eat in silence. Taeyong’s heart was beating fast. Being alone with Hyeyoon and eating together made him extremely happy. He didn’t know that she was thinking the same way too. There was a weird tension in the car.

Taeyong awkwardly clears his throat and asks Hyeyoon what drink she wanted, “cola or cider?” he asks.

“Cider,” she answers and he gives her the cup filled with Sprite.

“Not a lot of people like cider,” he says.

“I think it’s very refreshing,” she tells him then sips the drink.

Taeyong couldn’t peel his eyes away from her. Her face looked so cute when she sipped from the straw.

His staring made Hyeyoon feel even more self-conscious. If he doesn’t look away, he might notice that my cheeks are so red from blushing, Hyeyoon thinks.

They finish eating but Taeyong doesn’t want to take Hyeyoon home yet. They weren’t too far from Han River Park. Maybe she’ll want to take a walk there after eating?

He starts the car and asks her, “do you want to go by the park at Han river? Walking there in the afternoon is really nice.”

She doesn’t want to leave Taeyong. It’s only the second time they’re meeting but she was already developing feelings for him. It’s going to be difficult to stop herself from liking him if she spends even more time with him now.

“I think I should go home,” she tells him.

Taeyong tries to hide his disappointment but it was apparent from the way his smile slowly disappeared. He drives the car to the direction of Hyeyoon’s home. He purposely drives slowly so he can have more time with her but soon they arrive at her home.

“Thank you for the meal and for driving me today, Taeyong oppa,” she says before going out of the car. The last part makes Taeyong’s heart skip a beat. He loves it when she calls him oppa.

He gets out of the car and tries to think of an excuse to walk her up to her apartment. “Let me walk you to the 7th floor, um… you might stumble on the stairs or…”

“No, you don’t have to oppa. I won’t fall again,” she tells him.

He couldn’t come up with a good excuse so he lets her go.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” he says.

“It’s the weekend tomorrow.”

“Oh,” he realizes she doesn’t go to work on the weekend. “I guess I’ll see you on Monday then,” he says blushing from his mistake.

“Bye oppa,” she says and goes inside.

“Bye Hyeyoon,” he waves at her.

He lingers outside the building for a little bit but then goes back home. His groupmates might start getting suspicious if he’s out for too long.

Taeyong thinks Hyeyoon has an almost child-like innocence about her that he finds so attractive. He noticed it today when they were at the drive-thru. She seemed so happy and excited going there; like it was her first time. Was it her first time? He has so much to learn about Hyeyoon and this makes him want to be with her more and more.

He thinks she’s so different from the girls he usually meets. He thinks she looks effortlessly pretty, especially her eyes. He first thought she was wearing eye-liner because her eyes looked like they were accentuated by a small wing at the side. But, when he got to look at her eyes closely, he found that they were naturally that way.

“I’m screwed,” he mutters to himself.

_I don’t know any other way to put it: I like Hyeyoon._


	8. A Small Confrontation

“I’m back,” Taeyong says as he enters their dorm.

Everyone was gathered at the living room of the fifth floor apartment. They were all done eating their snacks and were just hanging out. Taeil and Jungwoo were having a friendly argument about cider and cola. Haechan, Jaehyun, Doyoung, Yuta and Johnny were on their phones, some of them busy updating their Instagram accounts. Meanwhile, Mark was playing his guitar at the corner of the room.

“You’re back hyung!” Mark stops playing his guitar briefly to greet Taeyong.

“We left some food for you hyung,” Jungwoo says.

“I’m not hungry, you can have it,” Taeyong answers.

“Great! I’m going to eat everything!” Jungwoo says before happily digging in to the food.

“That’s your fourth meal today!” Taeil tells him but Jungwoo ignores the eldest member.

Jaehyun looks up from his phone and eyes Taeyong suspiciously, there was something different about his hyung’s face. His eyes were shining more brightly than usual and his cheeks were flushed as if he had a couple of drinks, but Jaehyun’s sure that wasn’t the case.

“Where did you go hyung?” Doyoung asks.

“Just somewhere,” Taeyong answers. “I’m going to shower first,” Taeyong says and heads straight to the bathroom.

“Are you sure you’re not hungry?” Jungwoo asks.

Taeyong waves a hand dismissively and closes the bathroom door.

Doyoung could also tell something was off about Taeyong. He tells himself he’ll ask his hyung about it later. He has a hunch that Taeyong is hiding something. He thinks it has something to do with Hyeyoon which makes Doyoung jealous but he stops himself.

Taeyong is their leader and Doyoung knows Taeyong wouldn’t start dating someone now. Not that there’s anything wrong with dating a housekeeper, but getting caught dating their own personal housekeeper, right when they’re about to have a comeback, would be bad. It would be a huge scandal.

NCT 127 has just started to grow their fandom and dating news could ruin their momentum. They’re company has been trying to push them to become a top-tier group. They’re not banned from dating but they try to keep their dating as private and discreet as possible.

Later in the evening, Doyoung enters Taeyong’s room. Their leader was seated in his rotating gaming chair, playing a game on his computer. He says hi to Doyoung when he noticed he entered his room.

“What’re you doing?” Doyoung casually lays on his hyung’s bed and stares at the ceiling.

“Just playing a game,” Taeyong keeps his eyes glued to the computer screen.

Doyoung and Taeyong are undoubtedly the closest amongst the nine members of NCT 127 but, somehow, Doyoung finds it difficult now to confront his hyung about what’s going on. Where did he really go this afternoon?

“What did you get this afternoon hyung? A package?” he tries to speak as nonchalantly as possible.

Doyoung notices Taeyong pauses for a moment before answering, “uh yeah, something like that.”

Taeyong continues playing his game and tries his best to concentrate but he could feel Doyoung’s question lingering in the air. He knew his younger member was actually trying to find out what he truly did this afternoon. He didn’t want to lie to Doyoung but he already knew he would be judged if he would tell him that he went out with Hyeyoon.

They were silent for a while but Doyoung was getting impatient. There was no other way to go other than asking Taeyong directly. He knew their leader isn’t the type to lie or keep secrets from him. They were best friends.

“Was it something to do with Hyeyoon?” he asks his hyung.

Taeyong stops playing his game. He spins his chair around and faces Doyoung who was now seated up on the bed. He looks at his younger member who was looking back at him with a face that was saying: I trust you’ll tell the truth.

Taeyong sighs and gets up from the chair. He knew if he lied now the lies will pile up more later on. It would be better if he just told the truth now. He paces around for a bit before stopping to finally speak.

“The truth is… I was out with Hyeyoon. We ate some food together then I drove her home.”

Doyoung wasn’t shocked. He looks at his hyung with an unreadable expression on his face. Taeyong smiles sheepishly at him and goes back to sit on his gaming chair.

“I drove her home the other night too, when she got injured…”

“Do you like her, hyung?”

Taeyong stares at him with wide eyes, he was caught off guard by his younger member’s bluntness. They always spoke to each other this way but he didn’t think Doyoung would really ask about that now. He momentarily thinks, brushing a hand through his hair. There was an accusing tone to the way Doyoung talked to him. Why does he feel like Doyoung likes Hyeyoon too? That’s going to make things even more complicated.

Taeyong takes a deep breath before confessing, “yeah, I like her.”

This is a mess, Doyoung thinks. Haechan admitted a few days ago that he has a crush on Hyeyoon and now, Taeyong’s telling me he likes her too. He even drove her home! Twice! He suddenly feels like he’s about to get a headache. He stretches his neck and closes his eyes to think.

Taeyong is silently observing him, wondering what to say next.

“Do you like her too?” Taeyong asks quietly.

Doyoung opens his eyes but doesn’t look at his hyung. He hasn’t really thought about it seriously yet, whether he likes Hyeyoon. Isn’t it too quick to say that you like her? Doyoung wonders what Taeyong sees in her. He believes his hyung and Hyeyoon have shared a couple of moments that he’ll never truly find out in detail.

But then he realizes, he does know what Taeyong sees in Hyeyoon. There was something magnetic about her. An innocence, a delicateness, and a sadness that was all bundled up in her pretty face. He could see it in her eyes, an unhappy memory that seems to haunt her every day. Does his hyung notice that sadness too?

“I think I do, yeah. I think I like her too...”

They both fell silent. They could hear Haechan and Johnny rambling about a game in the other room. How should I feel about this? Both of them were asking to themselves. What do you do when your best friend likes the same person as you?

They didn’t know Jaehyun was outside the room, coincidentally passing by when he was about to go to their manager hyung to ask permission to go out with his 97 liner friends. He heard both of their confessions, not really that surprised but more worried that this could cause a rift between the two guys.

Jaehyun was out for the very first time with his fellow 97-liner idols, Eunwoo, Jungkook and Mingyu. They’ve invited him multiple times but he always declined, telling them he was busy or tired. But today, he just felt like going out. He was worried about his group members Taeyong and Doyoung whose serious conversation he overheard just a couple of hours ago.

But his thoughts keep wandering to Hyeyoon who was in the middle. How does she feel about all this? Does she know the effect she has on the guys of NCT 127? Jaehyun thinks she probably just wants to work and get her job done without getting involved with any of them. He admits they were pretty attractive and a lot of girls would be happy to date any of them. But, he feels like Hyeyoon is too good and pure for any of them.

Jaehyun didn’t really have that much fun hanging out with the “97-line”. They went around Itaewon, ate some food, had a couple of drinks and checked out a nightclub. The whole “guys’ night out” wasn’t his style. He preferred going to a quiet coffee shop and just talking.

He went home feeling tired. He laid down on his bed, still in the same clothes he wore outside. Jungwoo, his roommate, noticed his strained face.

“Did something wrong happen on your night out, hyung?” the younger member asked.

“No, I’m just tired.”

“Do you want to order your favorite midnight snack?” Jungwoo says trying to cheer him up.

“I’m still too full but thanks Jungwoo.”

Jungwoo looks at his hyung worriedly but decided to just let him be. He’s probably just tired. Jaehyun rarely goes out with people other than their fellow NCT members. Jungwoo understands that feeling, when you’re worn out from socializing with other people and you just want to rest.

Although Jungwoo is known as the funny member of the group, he has those moments too; when he’s mentally exhausted from being so upbeat and cheerful all the time. He pats Jaehyun’s leg comfortingly before heading to Yuta and Taeil’s room to ask if they wanted to order some midnight snacks.


	9. The Weekend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new couple is born in Itaewon.

It’s Saturday evening. Hyerim and Hyeyoon were lost in an alleyway in Itaewon, searching for a place to eat. They were hungry from shopping all afternoon. Hyerim was delighted that she could buy her younger sister a lot of new clothes. It was the first time she ever got Hyeyoon anything.

Most of the restaurants were packed with diners and they couldn’t find any places that weren’t full. Hyerim spots an odd looking door that didn’t look like it belonged to a restaurant. She wanted to check it out.

“Let’s go inside there,” Hyerim points to the door.

Hand in hand they entered the place and were surprised to find themselves in a cozy bistro that specializes in broiled eels. There were only a few customers eating. It was the perfect place to have dinner to end their first real weekend out in Seoul.

They got seated in a corner booth and immediately ordered everything they wanted from the menu. The waiter told them that their food will be served in about 10 minutes. Both of the sisters were starving and couldn’t wait to eat.

“This place looks great unnie, I bet they have delicious food too,” Hyeyoon remarks.

“I’m glad I found it!”

The two of them giggle like schoolgirls. Both of them were in good moods, especially Hyerim. She was nearly bursting with joy from seeing her sister smiling and enjoying herself.

New customers enter the place, two guys who Hyeyoon could immediately recognize. It was Taeil and Haechan. The boys spotted their housekeeper with another girl and Haechan couldn’t contain his excitement from seeing Hyeyoon.

They walked to the booth. Hyerim didn’t know who these guys were but she thought they were very handsome. She thinks the guy with the tomato red hair was particularly attractive and totally her type.

“Noona! I didn’t think we would run into you here!” Haechan says as soon as they were close enough to the table.

“Hello Ms. Han,” Taeil greets her. He notices the beautiful lady seated next to Ms. Han, “oh, hello! I’m Taeil and you are?”

“I’m Han Hyerim, Hyeyoon’s older sister,” Hyerim introduces herself.

The two guys bow at her politely. Taeil was immediately smitten by Hyerim. She was just as pretty as Ms. Han. Actually, she was much prettier in his opinion. He smiled at Hyerim and did his best to not stare at her pretty almost cat-like face.

“Would it be okay if we shared this table with you?” Taeil asks.

Haechan was amazed at his hyung’s boldness. Taeil isn’t the most social in NCT 127. He hasn’t really spoken much to Hyeyoon during the times they met at the dorm but now he wants to share a seat with her? Hyerim was probably the reason, Haechan thought.

“Sure,” Hyerim answers. Hyeyoon smiles at Haechan and Taeil. Although she wanted to maintain a professional boundary with them, it seemed rude if she declined their offer.

This morning, Hyeyoon’s thoughts were actually occupied with Taeyong and the drive-thru meal they shared together the other day. She undeniably enjoyed being with him. It took a lot of effort for her to say no to his suggestion to go to Han river. If she had said yes, it would’ve been as if she allowed her feelings to pour out and admit to herself that she liked him. She didn’t want to develop any romantic feelings for him.

If she didn’t know any better, she would have started to think he was feeling a similar way towards her too but she stops herself. Why would Taeyong ever like a girl like me? I’m just their housekeeper. He was just probably really trying to make up for causing her injury. The guy was just being nice.

But her Taeyong-filled thoughts were soon erased when she went out with Hyerim. They’ve never ever done this before, shopping and having fun like normal young adult girls. Hyeyoon was having the time of her life. She didn’t know trying out clothes and buying stuff would be so fun.

So this is what it feels like, she thought to herself all afternoon. This is what it felt like to live for yourself and buy things that you wanted without worrying if this will affect whether you’re dad gets his medicine or if this means mom needs to borrow money to pay our bills.

“Have you ordered already, noona?” Haechan asks Hyeyoon.

“Yes, we’re just waiting for our food to be served.”

Haechan nods and starts skimming through the menu. The waiter arrives with the food that the girls ordered. Haechan’s mouth watered from the delicious-looking broiled eels and other dishes laid on the table.

“We’ll order everything they ordered!” he tells the waiter.

The two sisters offered the guys to share their food but they said they can just wait until their own dishes arrive.

“You can eat first Ms. Hyerim and Hyeyoon noona!” Haechan says.

“I hope we’re not being rude, but we’re both starving,” Hyerim says, feeling a bit embarrassed and shy but she starts eating right away.

“So what do you for a living Ms. Hyerim?” Taeil tries striking up a conversation with her as she eats.

“I’m a junior sales officer at J Company,” she answers, trying to cover her mouth full of rice and eel.

Taeil found her completely cute when she did this. She was having difficulty slicing up the pieces of food so he cuts them up in small bite-sized pieces for her. She bows and thanks him.

Taeil smiles at her, “no need for words of thanks. This is nothing.”

“Do you happen to know our group, NCT 127? Have you heard any of our songs before?” Taeil asks.

“I’m sorry but I’ve never heard any of your songs. But, I’m not really into pop music in general.”

Taeil was about to ask her what kind of music she likes when Haechan spoke, “how about you noona?” he asks Hyeyoon.

Haechan also cut up her food into small pieces when he saw Taeil doing it for Hyerim. The two sisters found the guys so gentlemanly.

“I haven’t listened to any of your songs too,” Hyeyoon admits, feeling a bit ashamed that she never really checked out their music. She wasn’t really a music fan and prefers doing quiet activities like reading books.

“Really?” Haechan acted like he was stabbed in the chest. “I’m hurt noona!”

“Sorry,” Hyeyoon cuckles at Haechan’s acting.

The waiter comes back with the food that the boys ordered and the four of them stopped talking for a moment as they focused on eating. The food tasted great and they ended up ordering more.

The four of them enjoyed both the food and the company they shared. Their banter flowed out pleasantly and by the end of their meal, their stomachs and hearts were full of good food and good conversation. Taeil was happy he got to make the two girls laugh, especially Hyerim. Surprisingly, the two of them had a lot of things in common. Even if they just met, they immediately hit it off.

Hyeyoon and Haechan went outside while Hyerim and Taeil settled the bill. The atmosphere suddenly became awkward since it’s now just the two of them. Meanwhile, inside the restaurant, Hyerim and Taeil were both offering to pay for all of their food.

Taeil insisted to pay, saying since he was the oldest it should be him who should be paying. At first, Hyerim rejected this but she eventually let him do it. He pays for the food with his credit card. He musters up the courage to ask for her number while the cashier settled the payment.

“I hope I’m not being rude but can I ask for your number, Ms. Hyerim?” he tries to say as confidently as possible.

Hyerim was flattered and ecstatic that he asked. She says yes and he gives her his phone. She could feel her cheeks burning up as she dialed her number. Taeil was over the moon as he watched her type.

This girl could really be the one, Taeil thought.

She glances up at him a bit shyly as she gives his phone back. He smiles gently at her, “when are you free? I’d love to take you out for dinner, just the two of us.”

She loved how confident he was. Everything about him was so charming for her that she can’t resist him. She thinks for a moment before answering, “friday night would be nice.”

This makes Taeil smile widely. Although he seemed confident, he was shaking all over from the nerves and the butterflies in his stomach but was able to hide it from her. He just couldn’t believe that Hyerim seemed to like him too.

“Great, I’ll text you about our dinner once I make the reservations,” he guides her out of the restaurant and they spot Haechan and Hyeyoon awkwardly standing around in the corner. They were wondering what was taking them so long to pay.

Hyeyoon sees them walking towards were she and Haechan were standing. Hyerim waves at her. Her unnie and Taeil had the same bright smiles on their faces.

"Mr. Taeil payed for our meal," Hyerim says when they arrived.

"Really? Thank you so much Mr. Taeil," Hyeyoon says.

“You’re welcome Ms. Han.” He smiles at her.

I should be the one thanking you, he thinks to himself. If they didn’t run into Hyeyoon today, he wouldn’t have met her beautiful older sister.

“We should get going now,” Hyerim says as she links her arm around her younger sister.

“Bye and thank you for the meal,” she says while looking at Taeil who was staring right back at her with a very thrilled smile on his face.

They wave goodbye and separate ways. The girls head to the bus station while the guys waited for their manager, Ingyu, to come pick them up. Taeil couldn’t wipe the smile off his face which earns him a teasing comment from his younger member.

“You’ve fallen in love at first sight, didn’t you hyung?”

Taeil elbows Haechan. He just shakes his head and laughs the question off. Ingyu soon arrives with their company van. Somebody else from the inside opens the door, it was Jaehyun.

“Jaehyun hyung? Why are you here?” Haechan was a little surprised to see him. He heard his hyung went out to Itaewon last night but he went out again tonight? It was very unlike him.

“I was invited again by the 97 liner guys, get in,” Jaehyun opens the door wider and the two of them get in. They say hi to their Ingyu hyung as they settle inside the van.

“You’ve been going out with them often lately,” Taeil comments. He slides the van door shut and Ingyu starts driving to their apartment.

“I didn’t actually want to go out tonight but they really insisted. There’s this hyung we knew who just opened a new restaurant and the guys wanted to go eat there to support him. I thought it would be rude if I didn’t go.”

“Was the food good there? I’m looking for a nice place to eat with someone…” Taeil asks.

“No way! You already scored a date with Ms. Hyerim?!” Haechan yells.

Jaehyun and Ingyu, who was also listening to the guys while he drove, were suddenly very interested. Who was Ms. Hyerim? They wondered. Jaehyun gave Haechan a questioning look.

“Ms. Hyerim is Hyeyoon noona’s older sister. We ran into them at the eel restaurant and we all ended up eating together.” the youngest answers. He points at Taeil and continues, “hyung fell for Ms. Hyerim right away!”

“Oh ho, Taeil you just met her but you already managed to ask her out? I should learn a thing or two from you, hyungnim!” Ingyu jokes.

“Ingyu hyung…” Taeil was starting to feel shy. They all laugh at his reaction.

Ingyu continues teasing Taeil while Haechan half-defends-half-teases along with him. Jaehyun just laughed at the three of them without saying anything. He was feeling tired and his stomach hurted a bit.

Maybe I just ate too much, he tells himself.

Eventually, their conversation died down. Taeil got on his phone and started searching for restaurant recommendations. Meanwhile, Jaehyun’s stomach was beginning to hurt more.

Haechan looked out the window and watched the night streets of Seoul passing by, his thoughts only about Hyeyoon. She looked so much happier tonight than all the times he’s seen her. When they first met and had a welcome party for her she was also smiling and laughing along with them but he noticed she would have quick moments when she seemed sad and lonely. He couldn’t see any of that this time which made him so happy.

He really put an effort to show that he liked her during the entire meal they shared. Despite this, he noticed that she really wasn’t returning any of the interest that he was showing to her. Unlike her older sister, who was basically flirting all throughout the meal with his Taeil hyung. Not that he minded their flirting. He was actually happy and found it cute that the two of them were instantly attracted to each other and weren’t afraid to show it.

When he was alone with Hyeyoon outside the restaurant, it suddenly became awkward between the two of them. He was starting to think he and Hyeyoon were actually incompatible. He did really like her but he was having doubts about whether he had a chance at making her like him too.

He shakes the thoughts away. Haechan’s not going to give up on his feelings just because of that. Maybe if I get to spend more time with noona, then she’ll see more of my charms. I could find out what she likes and she could get to know me too. Even if we don’t like similar things, don’t they say opposites attract?

Haechan is determined to win her heart. But if noona finds someone else that she truly likes… then maybe I’ll give up on her.


	10. Food Poisoning

In the middle of dawn, Jaehyun wakes up feeling extremely nauseous. He runs to the bathroom and vomits in the toilet.

“I feel fucking awful…”

Jaehyun spends his Sunday between the bed and the toilet. NCT 127 were all supposed to be in the practice room today, perfecting their new choreography since their comeback was right around the corner. Since Jaehyun already felt sick before the sun even rose, he told Ingyu and their leader Taeyong that he couldn’t go to practice today.

The members were all worried about leaving him alone in the dorm but Jaehyun reassured them that he could take care of himself. He found out the other guys in the 97 line got sick too. There must have been something wrong with the food they ate at that restaurant.

When the members came back from practicing, Jaehyun had already lost count of how many times he had thrown up. Doyoung was the one who insisted that they had to take him to the ER right away.

“Jaehyun’s probably dehydrated from vomiting so many times,” Doyoung tells Ingyu, their manager.

Jaehyun doesn’t like hospitals but he knew Doyoung was right. He barely had the energy to get up from bed. Jungwoo and Johnny, the tallest guys in the group, helped carry him to the car. Ingyu rushed him to the nearest hospital with Taeyong and Doyoung following right behind. Everyone was worried about Jaehyun.

Hyeyoon got a bit bored in the house, it’s Sunday evening with nothing to do. She decided to finally check out NCT 127 in the internet. She looked up their name on the search engine and was overwhelmed to see so much content about them. She ended up watching all of their music videos and reading lots of articles about them. After everything she saw, she had a big reality check.

The guys that she’s working for were indeed celebrities and they weren’t just an average boy group. They’re from a big name company and are really popular. She was shocked to find out they recently sold a million copies of their albums. That is insane!

She read more about them and stumbled upon a new article.

**NCT 127 Jaehyun and members of the famous 97-line hospitalized after food poisoning at new Itaewon restaurant.**

**Seoul, South Korea – After visiting a freshly opened restaurant in Itaewon, four famous boy group members are currently hospitalized after acquiring food poisoning. This group of friends, who are known as the 97-line, are composed of NCT 127’s Jaehyun, Astro’s Cha Eunwoo, BTS’s Jungkook, and Seventeen’s Mingyu. Their companies have revealed that the four of them are in stable conditions and are being treated at different hospitals around Seoul.**

**The owner of the restaurant, who is a mutual friend of the 97-line, apologized and helped the swift investigation of the case. It was found out that only the four male celebrities became sick after dining at the place. After further investigation, it was revealed that a sasaeng fan purposely poisoned the soup that was served to the group. The companies all agreed to press charges against the said fan.**

“Oh no…” Hyeyoon couldn’t stop herself from saying aloud.

Even though she’s only met him for a couple of times, Jaehyun was always kind and considerate towards her every moment they interacted. She hopes he’s okay. She doesn’t understand how a fan could do that. Why would you poison somebody you liked?

She shakes her head and worries about Jaehyun. The other members must be very concerned too. She wants to check up on them but she knows she doesn’t really have the right to do so.

I’m just their housekeeper, she thinks to herself. Plus, I don’t have any of their phone numbers…

Monday morning, Jaehyun got discharged from the hospital. He didn’t feel like throwing up anymore and his stomach has stopped hurting. The doctor told him to rest at home today and he’ll be all better by Tuesday.

With NCT 127’s comeback just around the corner, the nine of them were all supposed to be filming content nearly all week long. The only free day they had was Friday, much to Taeil’s relief. He didn’t want to miss his date with Hyerim. He already got a reservation at a nice restaurant that he thought suited both his and Hyerim’s taste.

But because of Jaehyun’s food poisoning incident, they had to reschedule. The staff decided to film individual content first. Jaehyun was left alone in the apartment while the rest of the guys were in the studio filming.

Hyeyoon arrived to the empty fifth floor apartment. She did her usual tasks and finished by noon. She ate her lunch quickly and left to go do her job on the tenth floor dorm. As she rode the elevator, she wondered if Jaehyun was still in the hospital. It would be nice if she could cook some soup for him and ask one of the members to take it to the hospital.

She didn’t bother ringing the doorbell of the apartment because she figured no one would be home. When she got to the living room, she was startled to see a tired looking Jaehyun eating ramen on the couch. She noticed that he lost a little bit of weight, she could see his cheek bones have become more prominent

“Oh hello Ms. Han,” he says putting the bowl of instant noodles down on the coffee table.

“Hello Mr. Jaehyun, I heard you were sick. Are you okay now?”

“Yes, I just got out from the hospital this morning.”

Hyeyoon eyes the bowl on the table and shakes her head when she sees it’s instant ramen. “Is that your lunch? You shouldn’t be eating that right after you got sick.”

“Let me cook you lunch,” she says as she grabs the bowl and heads to the kitchen.

“You don’t have to Ms. Han, you probably have a lot of stuff to do,” Jaehyun gets up and follows her.

“Don’t worry, I’m done with all the work in the fifth floor,” she starts taking ingredients from the refrigerator while Jaehyun watched her. He was actually starving and wanted to eat some real food but was too tired to cook one for himself. He couldn’t sleep much last night at the hospital.

“Let me help you Ms. Han,” he says walking towards her.

“No, you look very tired. Please take a seat, I can do it by myself.”

He couldn’t argue with her, he was really tired. So, he obediently takes a seat at one of the chairs around the dining table. Hyeyoon worked while Jaehyun watched her. She chopped up vegetables swiftly, Jaehyun was fascinated by how fast her hands worked. Soon, the smell of healthy beef soup filled the kitchen, making Jaehyun’s mouth water.

“Here you go,” she says as she puts down a steaming bowl of soup infront of him.

“Thank you for the food,” he tells her, showing his dimpled smile which makes Hyeyoon lose her focus for couple of seconds. She regains her senses and places other side dishes on the table for him to eat.

He blows on the soup and takes a sip. “This tastes delicious,” he complements her with a grin. She smiles back, trying not to swoon from his smile and sweet voice.

“I’m going to start doing the laundry now but just call me if you need anything, Mr. Jaehyun.”

“Have you eaten lunch already Ms. Han?” he asks her.

She nods and went out to their bedrooms. Time to do the laundry, she thinks to herself. She stays in the utility room as she lets the washing machine do the work. She suddenly remembered all the times Jaehyun had been considerate to her. He was the one who asked her to have some lunch during her first day of work. He also helped her leave during that afternoon when Haechan and Doyoung invited her to stay for some snacks. His handsome face matches his warm and kind personality, Hyeyoon thought.

After some time, Jaehyun goes to the laundry room. Even though the door was wide open, he made sure to knock so he wouldn't startle her. He came to tell her he already did the dishes and she can go home right away once she’s done with the laundry.

“Thank you for doing the dishes. Do you perhaps need anything more?” she tells him.

He smiles as he shakes his head, “no Ms. Han.”

“You look like you didn’t sleep at all last night,” she says frowning a bit.

Jaehyun wanted to sleep as soon as he got back from the hospital but he couldn’t. He was stressed out because he felt like he was causing trouble for the group.

“How about some warm milk to help you fall asleep?” she tells him as if she read his mind.

The two of them went back into the kitchen and she warms a tall glass of milk for him while he hovers around her, wanting to do it himself but she didn’t let him. She pours the milk into a big mug and hands it to him.

“Thank you Ms. Han.” Jaehyun says taking a seat with the hot drink in hand.

The warmth felt nice on his hands, he felt like he was being enveloped in a warm hug. He has never been cared for this well by anyone before, except for his mom. Being taken cared of by Hyeyoon this way reminded him of the times he got sick as a kid and his mom would nurse him back to good health.

He watches her as she washes the kettle she used for the milk, his eyes lingering on the small upward line that her eyes had. He didn’t notice that before, it makes her eyes look so feminine and pretty. She could feel his gaze on her but she pretended she didn’t notice and wiped the wet kitchen counters.

She didn’t have any work left to do so she takes a seat while Jaehyun drank the warm milk slowly. The two of them silently sat across from each other. Hyeyoon looked out the window, appreciating the afternoon view of the outside, while he still continued to watch her. He realized he had been looking at her all this time. He looks away and watched the window instead. He knew his ears were probably red from embarrassment.

At that moment, he finally understood why the rest of the members were so taken by her. His heart beat quickened as he stole one more look at her. It's because she's so beautiful without even knowing and Jaehyun's fallen for her just like everyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update because Punch just got its 4th win at MCountdown today! <3 Congratulations NCT 127 and NCTzens!


	11. The Hyeyoon Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong, Haechan, Jaehyun, and Doyoung were missing Hyeyoon because their busy schedules didn't allow them to get home in time to see her. The Hyeyoon Effect was apparent for some while hidden for others. Mark's just oblivious.

Due to some technical problems with the filming equipment, Taeyong’s individual content recording ended later than expected. He actually wanted to get off work as soon as possible so he could drive Hyeyoon to where she lived. But by the time he finished working, he knew it was too late and she had already gone home.

Taeyong made it quite obvious that he was upset. His dorm mates at the fifth floor waited for him to get home so they could all eat dinner together. But, he barely touched his food causing the others to worry if he also had an upset stomach like Jaehyun. However, Doyoung knew the real reason why his best friend was behaving that way. The younger member was starting to get annoyed but he kept his mouth shut.

The next day, they had to film twice as many videos to make up for what they should have completed on Monday. The schedule was very hectic and the guys were already tired from yesterday’s shoot. But, they didn’t show any hint of it at all and gave their best. Mainly because they didn’t want Jaehyun to think like it’s his fault that they’re exhausted and behind schedule.

Meanwhile, Jaehyun was distracted all day long. He couldn’t stop thinking about Hyeyoon. He wanted to see her again today but he knew they would be at the company until the evening. Jungwoo could tell Jaehyun was unfocused. His roommate wasn’t talking much or reacting often to the other members’ antics during recording. He wondered what was bothering his hyung. He wanted to ask but decided to just drop it. He guessed Jaehyun must be tired and not himself after being sick.

On the other hand, Doyoung was getting more annoyed at Taeyong that he failed to see how Jaehyun was so distracted. He could tell their leader was anxious to get their job done quickly. During their afternoon shoot Taeyong would constantly check the time. But by 4pm, he could see they wouldn’t finish early and gave up his anticipation of driving Hyeyoon to her home.

Wednesday was the same. They were too busy to end on time so they couldn’t catch Hyeyoon at their dorm. By Thursday, Johnny, Yuta, Taeil and Jungwoo were able to notice the annoyance of Doyoung towards their leader, Taeyong’s antsy behavior in the afternoons, and the unusual quietness of Jaehyun. The four guys all thought of different explanations why the said three were acting peculiar but they altogether didn’t know the answer.

Haechan missed seeing her too but he didn’t let it show. Out of all of them, Mark was the only one truly unbothered and oblivious. He went about his usual bright self and didn’t sense at all what was happening in their group.

Amazingly, Thursday’s filming ended early. Taeyong was cheerful and was humming on their ride home. Doyoung didn’t know why but this irritated him even more. He hated that Taeyong would be able to drive Hyeyoon home today. He crossed his arms across his chest and looked out the window with his ear pods on, blasting music to drown out Taeyong’s humming and his own irritation.

Jaehyun has regained his focus today. He was a lot more present during their shoot. In the van going home, he could immediately see Doyoung’s anger, Taeyong’s very cheerful mood, and Haechan’s excitement to get home. Unlike the others, Jaehyun knew why everyone was being like this. A simple unaware girl, with beautiful but sad looking eyes and the prettiest smile was the answer.

Haechan got out of the van first and practically ran to the elevators with Taeyong right on his heels. The two were so outwardly excited to get home that Doyoung couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes at them. He got out of the van last. Just like them, he was also looking forward to seeing Hyeyoon. But, knowing that their youngest member and his best friend were his strong competitors made him irate.

They all got into the elevators and arrived at the fifth floor apartment. Only Johnny and Ingyu got off at the fifth floor even though Taeyong, Haechan and Doyoung also lived there.

“Why aren’t you getting off?” Johnny asked them.

“I want to see Hyeyoon noona! I know she’s at the tenth floor working,” Haechan answers.

“I left something at Taeil and Yuta’s bedroom,” Doyoung lies.

“Huh? What did you leave there?” Yuta asked but Doyoung pretended he didn’t hear him.

“I want to ask Hyeyoon if she needed a ride to her home, I want to drive her there,” Taeyong answered to everyone’s shock.

Everyone’s eyes were on their leader. Doyoung couldn’t believe Taeyong was being so blatant. Haechan’s mouth was dramatically open. Jaehyun was quiet but he was jealous. Nobody said anything so they just allowed the elevator to head up to the tenth floor. Johnny and Ingyu were left alone in the fifth floor hallway, not believing what Taeyong just said.

“Did I just hear that correctly, hyung?” Johnny asked their manager.

“Yeah…” Ingyu answered apprehensively.

As their manager, he was supposed to monitor everyone’s activities. Most of the time, the boys asked for his consent whenever they wanted to go out. However, Taeyong usually didn’t ask for their manager’s permission since he trusted him as the group’s leader.

Ingyu knew bad rumors could start if anyone saw Taeyong driving a girl home from their dorm. There are some sasaengs that stay outside their condominium building that might happen to spot Taeyong. But, he had faith in Taeyong’s sense of responsibility.

I guess I’ll just let him do that, Ingyu thought to himself.

There was an awkward silence in the elevator, something that rarely happens to the group. Jaehyun kind of admired Taeyong’s guts but was still jealous. While Taeil, Yuta, Jungwoo and Mark were just dumbfounded by what their leader said. Is Taeyong trying to date Hyeyoon? They four of them thought.

Haechan didn’t know why but he felt so betrayed. He couldn’t believe their leader had also fallen for Hyeyoon. He knew his Doyoung hyung secretly liked her but he didn’t expect that Taeyong hyung would also be the same!

They arrived at the right floor and walked inside the apartment. They could all hear sound of the washing machine running as they entered their dorm. Haechan walked past everyone else and went to the utility room.

“Noona! I missed you!” Haechan shouted as soon as he saw Hyeyoon.

“Oh! Haechan!” Hyeyoon was startled at Haechan’s sudden appearance in the room. The door was wide open but it would have been nice if he knocked to make his presence known, just like what Jaehyun did last Monday.

“You’re home early,” she added.

“Yes, we ended filming early today!” Haechan says happily.

Haechan eyed the pile of freshly washed clothes that needed to be folded, “noona, do you want me to help you with those?”

“No, you don’t have to Haechan. You should rest,” she says.

Taeyong suddenly appeared at the open doorway. “Hi Hyeyoon,” he greets her with a smile.

“Hello Mr. Taeyong,” she greets him back. Taeyong was a bit disappointed she didn’t call him oppa.

“Are you done with work? Let me drive you home,” he tells her.

“I’m almost done but you don’t have to do that…”

There was a short but uncomfortable silence. Haechan respected Taeyong a lot but he couldn’t stop himself from glaring at his hyung. He could tell Hyeyoon wasn’t comfortable with Taeyong’s offer.

“Oh, I’m sorry...” Taeyong was confused and a bit hurt from her reaction.

“No! It’s just…” Hyeyoon didn’t know what to say. The truth is; she’s been thinking a lot over the past few days. She thought that if she was really true to her belief of keeping a distance with the men she worked for then she had to decline any of their offers that didn’t involve work.

“It’s okay Hyeyoon,” Taeyong tells her. He gives her a small smile before he leaves her and Haechan alone in the small room.

Haechan knew it wasn’t the right moment for him to make his move on Hyeyoon so he leaves her after telling her she can call him if she needed any help. She nods at Haechan and watched him go. She kind of felt guilty for turning Taeyong down.

But, she had to do that if she wanted to guard her heart. He was starting to become closer to her which would lead her feelings for him to grow. Hyeyoon had to put a stop to them before they become real permanent ones. She knew she had no chance for anything to happen between her and Taeyong, or any of the guys in NCT 127. She’d just end up hurt.

Doyoung saw Taeyong going out of the utility room looking downcast, followed by a Haechan who looked like he was having an inner battle with himself. Doyoung was wondering what happened, "did Hyeyoon reject Taeyong's offer to drive her home?" he thoughts to himself. This made him pleased that Taeyong mights have gotten rejected but he had to pretend that he needed to get something from Taeil and Yuta’s room.

Taeil was seated in the living room with Yuta and Jaehyun. Haechan and Taeyong already went back to their own dorm downstairs. Mark was in the bathroom while Jungwoo was searching the kitchen for snacks.

The three guys in the sofa watched Doyoung walk in and out of the bedroom with amused looks. They knew he didn’t really leave anything behind. Doyoung rarely comes up to the tenth floor because he thinks the tenth floor dorm is disgusting. The guys admit they weren’t the cleanest, especially compared to their neat freak leader Taeyong and other neat nagger Doyoung, but their dorm is definitely not disgusting.

“Did you get what you left behind?” Yuta asked Doyoung.

“Oh? Um, yeah… I got it,” Doyoung says putting his hands in his pockets. He paces around the room then takes a seat between Taeil and Yuta. He plays with his phone, ignoring the inquiring looks he got from the two. He is determined to see Hyeyoon.

A couple of minutes later, Hyeyoon comes out of the laundry room with her bag in hand. She was done for the day and was about to leave for home. She spots all of them hanging out in the living room on their phones.

“Hello everyone, I’m going home now,” Hyeyoon says bowing.

Jaehyun looks up from his phone. He felt his heart skip a beat as soon as they make eye contact. Just seeing her made him instantly so happy that he forgot about the jealousy he felt because of Taeyong.

“Thank you for your hard work today Ms. Han, I hope you’re not too tired” he tells her with a smile.

Hyeyoon smiles back at Jaehyun, feeling warm all over from his dimpled smile. He’s another one that she needs to guard her heart from. After spending Monday afternoon with him, she’s been constantly thinking about him and how caring he is. Even just now, telling her he hopes she’s not too tired puts butterflies in her stomach. He looks healthier today than the last time they were together which makes her glad.

“Yes, thank you Ms. Han! It’s been a while since we last saw you,” Doyoung says.

Taeil gets up, “wait a minute Ms. Han!” He disappears in to the kitchen and comes back with a paper bag. “I got some snacks for myself the other day and I bought some for you and Ms. Hyerim” he says handing it to her.

“Who’s Ms. Hyerim?” Jungwoo says following Taeil out of the kitchen with a bag of chips in hand. He sees Hyeyoon and bows to greet her. She bows in return.

None of the guys who were present, except Jaehyun, knew about Taeil and Hyeyoon’s older sister.

“Ms. Hyerim is Ms. Han’s older sister,” Taeil explains.

“Taeil hyung likes her,” Jaehyun adds which makes Taeil blush.

Taeil scratches his head, feeling shy. The guys don’t really hide anything from each other so he tells them, “yeah, I do like her. I even got a date with her tomorrow night…”

“A date with Ms. Han’s unnie?” Jungwoo repeats in awe and disbelief. I never knew Taeil hyung was this good with the ladies, Jungwoo thought.

“Really? When did you meet her?” Yuta asks. He was kind of wounded Taeil didn’t share this information with him. They were roommates but he understands maybe Taeil just wanted a bit of privacy when it came to his dating life.

“We happened to run to each other at a restaurant in Itaewon last Saturday,” Hyeyoon responds. “Thank you Mr. Taeil. Hyerim unnie will appreciate this,” she bows to him and starts walking to the door.

“Let me come with you Hyeyoon, I’m also taking the elevator,” Doyoung gets up and follows her.

“Bye Ms. Han!” the other guys collectively bid her goodbye before she left.

“I can’t believe you didn’t share that to me hyung!” Yuta says accusingly. He turns to face his hyung and narrows his eyes at him, feigning anger.

“Share what? The snacks?” Taeil asked.

“No! That you landed a date with Ms. Han’s sister!”

“Oh… sorry… I was going to tell you but when I got home that night you were already asleep and then Jaehyun got sick and we were so busy with filming…”

“Nah I’m just messing with you hyung! If you want to keep your dating life private, I totally understand,” Yuta puts his arm on Taeil’s shoulder laughing.

Mark comes out of the bathroom, “what did I miss?”

“Is the paper bag heavy Hyeyoon? Let me carry it for you,” Doyoung gets it from her. It was actually very light.

They were side by side in the elevator. Doyoung noticed Hyeyoon seemed to have a lot in her mind. He wanted to take this opportunity to become closer to her so he talks to her about her unnie, “I didn’t know you had an older sister.”

He saw the way Hyeyoon’s eye lit up at the mention of her sister. She smiles and answers “her name’s Hyerim.”

“She must be just as pretty as you.”

“We look nothing alike, she’s way prettier than me,” Hyeyoon says laughing.

The elevator doors open to the fifth floor but Doyoung doesn’t get off, “let me accompany you until the lobby, if that’s okay with you?”

She would have declined but she didn’t want to feel the same guilt she felt when she said no to Taeyong so she nods in agreement. She figures it must be alright for him to walk her until the lobby; it wasn’t much compared to getting driven home. 

“Do you live with your sister and your family here in Seoul?”

“Just my sister, my mom is in my hometown.”

Doyoung wanted to know more about her. He was very curious why she lives with her sister and why she only mentioned her mom and not her parents. But, it was a private matter that Hyeyoon should open up on her own.

“Ah I see… I have an older sibling too, he’s Gongmyung. Maybe you’ve heard of him?”

“Gongmyung? I don’t know anyone named that way, sorry.”

“He’s an actor,” Doyoung says laughing, he felt slightly embarrassed for seeming to think everyone knows his hyung.

She could tell Doyoung was proud of his actor brother. She relates well to the feeling of admiration for your older sibling, this makes her smile wider at him. Hyeyoon’s always looked up to how smart and hardworking Hyerim was.

“Really? That’s amazing, talent certainly runs in your family,” she complements him.

“Haha thank you…” Doyoung was dying from happiness being able to talk Hyeyoon like this. There was an easy atmosphere between the two of them which delights him.

“Do you have a good relationship with your unnie?”

“Yes, how about you? Do two brothers get along well?” Hyeyoon asks, genuinely curious.

“We do, I’m actually going out with my hyung tomorrow,” Doyoung was excited. He and Gongmyung had no schedules tomorrow so they planned to spend the day together. It’s been a while since they last hanged out.

“I might even buy a new Galaxy phone and switch from Apple because of my brother’s influence,” Doyoung joked.

Hyeyoon was pleased to know Doyoung and his brother got along well, “it’s nice when you’re close with your sibling, it’s like having a best friend for life.”

“I absolutely agree,” Doyoung says beaming at her.

They were in the ground floor now and were walking towards the exit.

“It was nice talking to you Hyeyoon,” he returns the bag full of snacks into her hands.

She smiles and bows to him, “goodbye Mr. Doyoung.”

“Bye Hyeyoon, be careful on your way home.”

They both wave goodbye and she walks out the doors. He still hasn’t heard her say oppa to him but he’s not disappointed. He was thrilled that he got to be with her like that today.

“I like you a lot Hyeyoon…” he whispers, watching her walking away until he could no longer see her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please look forward to what happens in the coming chapters! I appreciate hearing your thoughts so don't be shy and comment :)


	12. Assault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s already close to 10 in the morning but Hyeyoon still hasn't arrived in to work at their dorm. Jaehyun thinks she might just be running late but he's got a feeling that something bad happened to her.

It’s a bright sunny Friday and, even though they didn’t have a group schedule, everyone was up early. Mark, Jungwoo, and Haechan were the first ones to leave. They were going to a photoshoot as the maknae line for a popular magazine.

Meanwhile, the gym buddies Johnny, Yuta, and Taeil all planned to work out in the morning today because Taeil wanted to spend his afternoon preparing for his date with Hyerim.

On the other hand their leader, Taeyong, wanted to use his free day to work on his music. He wished to stay for a while to see Hyeyoon before he left for the studio. But after remembering the uncomfortable situation he had with her yesterday, he chose to leave right after eating a quick meal. He thought focusing on his music might help him clear his conflicted thoughts about Hyeyoon.

Doyoung was the last one to leave the dorm. He and his older brother, Gongmyung, have been looking forward to their “brother’s day off” for weeks now. They agreed to go out in the morning so they could visit their parents before the two of them would use their afternoon shopping around and visiting new places.

The only person left in the dorm was Jaehyun, who had zero plans to go out. He wanted to just rest at home for today. He didn’t mind being by himself in the apartment because it meant he would be alone with Hyeyoon again. Just like last Monday when she took care of him.

** Jaehyun **

I scrolled aimlessly on Instagram while I lay on my back on the sofa. I have the dorm all to myself today, something that rarely happens, that’s why I’m relaxing in the living room instead of being on my bed.

It’s my free day and I really wanted to sleep in until noon. But, I don’t want to waste any of the time I will have with Ms. Han today. I won’t be able to see her again for a couple of days since it’s going to be the weekend tomorrow. That’s why I uncharacteristically woke up early and ate breakfast with the guys before they left.

I feel butterflies in my stomach as my mind wandered with thoughts about seeing her and being alone with her… I stop myself before I start thinking _inappropriately_. I should help her do the housework and then cook lunch for the two of us later. I suddenly remember the dirty dishes piled up in the kitchen. I ought to wash them before she arrives.

The dorm was quiet except for the sounds of running water and clinking plates in the sink. By the time I’m done with cleaning up, Ms. Han would be at the fifth floor dorm already. I wonder if I should start calling her Hyeyoon instead of Ms. Han? Then she can just address me as oppa, just imagining her calling me oppa is driving me nuts.

I wiped my hands on a dry towel as I looked around the kitchen with a smile plastered on my face. Daydreaming about Ms. Han has made me this way. I want to make sure everything’s clean before I head downstairs to meet her. This way she won’t have any work to do here in our dorm other than some laundry.

Everything looked spotless and orderly, so I headed down to the lower floor. I smelled my shirt as I rode the elevator, do I smell good? Maybe I should have showered first. Well, it’s too late now since I’m already here.

I rang the doorbell so I wouldn’t startle her from suddenly entering the apartment. After ringing twice, it seemed like there wasn’t anyone inside. I checked the time on my phone, it’s already close to 10 in the morning.

Is she perhaps running late? But I don’t think Hyeyoon’s the type to come in to work late. I let myself in and looked for her, thinking that maybe she just didn’t hear the sound of the doorbell. I check every room but she wasn’t in any of them.

Why do I feel like something bad happened to her? I paced around the living room, feeling anxious. I’ll feel more at ease if I wait for her at the lobby. The elevator ride going down felt slower than usual.

When the doors opened, I immediately saw a small crowd of young girls assembled in front of the entrance. I’m not surprised sasaengs are waiting around our dorm. But, I found it odd that they seemed to be screaming at someone in the middle of the circle they formed. I walked out of the elevators and squinted to see who it was.

Fuck. It’s Ms. Han! What the hell are they trying to do with her?!

I ran outside, screaming “get away from her!”

Hyeyoon was crying, shaking and was covering her ears. She looked terrified making my anger rise up. The sasaengs ran away when they saw me. I fought the urge to chase after them so I could punch each one of them but I must take care of Hyeyoon.

She was beginning to hyperventilate and didn’t even seem to notice me coming to her. Her hair and clothes were wet with what smelled like rotten milk. Her belongings were strewn around the street and I could see her bag was ripped to shreds. What did those bitches do to her?

I wrapped my arms around her, “Hyeyoon, it’s me. It’s Jaehyun.”

She looked up and seemed to recognize me, “plea-please make it it stop…” Her eyes were filled with tears and she struggled with every breath she took. I felt a sharp pain in my heart seeing her like this. It seemed like she was having a panic attack.

“You’re safe with me, I’m here now” I brush her hair away from her eyes while I gently stroked her back to calm her. I started guiding her to walk inside the building but her legs were trembling badly.

“Let me take you in,” I took her in my arms and carried her.

I could feel her hot ragged breath on my chest as I continued to bring her while we rode the elevator going up. “They’re not here anymore, you’re safe,” I whisper softly to her.

It seemed to calm her down a little so I kept delicately talking to her, “you’re going to be okay Hyeyoon. I’m here for you. Can you breathe in and out with me?”

I guided her to take slower breaths and she followed. The elevator stopped at the tenth floor and I carried her in to our dorm. I kneeled and gently placed her on the sofa. She was breathing more evenly now but there were still tears flowing out her eyes. I wiped them off with my palm as I looked at her face. She looked so vulnerable and afraid.

I hug her once more, “you’re safe now Hyeyoon.” I felt her hands wrap around me as well and we stayed like that for a while.

Her heart beat pounded against my own as I kept her tightly enveloped in my arms. Eventually, her heart slowed down to a steadier pace and she slowly let go of me.

“Let me get you some water and a change of clothes,” I tell her.

I start to get up when she grabs the bottom of shirt, “please don’t leave me alone. I’m so scared…”

“Of course, I won’t leave you Hyeyoon,” I sit down beside her.

She puts her head on my shoulder, like she’s very exhausted. I slowly put an arm around her, watching her reaction if she didn’t want my touch. She snuggled even closer to me, making me certain she was comfortable with what I was doing.

“I won’t let that happen to you again,” I say, placing a small kiss on her head.

I cooked two plates of kimchi fried rice with sunny side up eggs for our lunch. Hyeyoon’s changed out of her wet clothes and was wearing one of my oversized black shirts since there wasn’t anything else she could wear.

We quietly ate in the kitchen, seated right next to each other. Her hair was still damp from the shower she just took. She didn’t smell like spoiled milk anymore. Instead, I could smell my shampoo on her. It made me strangely pleased that she picked my shampoo out of the five bottles in the bathroom.

“Do you want more? I can cook you another one,” I ask her when she finishes the plate.

“No, thank you.”

She starts gathering all the dirty plates but I quickly stop her. “No, please let me do it.”

I gently push her back to her seat and start doing the dishes. She remained quietly seated while I finished cleaning up. “You look very tired, Hyeyoon. Do you want to go home now? I can accompany you home if you’d like,” I ask her as I take a seat beside her.

“I do want to go home but I’m going to be there all alone…”

“Do you live alone?”

She shakes her head, “I live with my unnie but she won’t be home until probably later because she has a date.”

Right, her sister’s going on a dinner date with Taeil tonight.

“I can stay with you until your unnie comes home,” I tell her with a smile.

“Are you sure you’re okay with that? Maybe I’m being too…”

I interrupt her, “I can stay with you for as long as you need me to, don’t worry about anything.”

She searches my face, as if checking if I was really telling the truth. I could see fear in her eyes, she truly didn’t want to be alone after what happened. I look back at her, trying my best to show her that I would always be there for her.

My feelings for her have grown tremendously after seeing her get attacked by those sasaengs today. I realized that I couldn’t stand the thought of her getting hurt, much more the thought of losing her. I only want to see her happy and safe.

Hyeyoon could ask me for anything and I would give it to her because she already owns my heart.

“Here we are,” Hyeyoon says as she opens the door of the small studio apartment that her unnie rents.

Jaehyun follows her in, carefully taking off his shoes before entering. He looked around and thought the place looked absolutely clean and charming. There was a very feminine feeling in the room which he thinks is a nice change from NCT’s testosterone filled condominiums.

“I’m going to get changed. I’m sorry if the place is too small but please make yourself comfortable” she stops momentarily before continuing, “Mr. Jaehyun…”

Jaehyun found it cute how she hesistated. She unintentionally called him oppa on their taxi ride going here. He didn’t want her to take the bus going home because he knew it would be too uncomfortable for her if she walked around wearing an oversized black shirt that came just above her knees.

When they were still at the dorm, he was too concerned about Hyeyoon’s well-being after witnessing her get assaulted that he never really noticed how sexy she looked while wearing his shirt. She always wore baggy clothes whenever she went to work that he never knew she had this body. Even though she wasn’t tall, her legs looked great because of her good proportions.

He stops himself from having any more thoughts of her body. Jaehyun couldn’t deny that he is a man after all but he doesn’t want to disrespect her even in his own thoughts.

Hyeyoon was already out of the bathroom after getting in to her own clothes. She looks at Jaehyun who was awkwardly standing in the middle of the space. They both felt the intense tension in the room as they stared at each other, not really knowing what to do.

“I’ll return your shirt after I wash it,” Hyeyoon speaks, trying to break the silence.

“Su-sure,” Jaehyun says, then clears his throat. He was still trying to control his very suggestive thoughts.

Hyeyoon felt sleepy. Sleep had become easier for her over the past two weeks since she started working in NCT’s dorms. She wanted to take a nap but thought it might be rude to Jaehyun. She tried to suppress her yawn but failed.

He saw how tired and lethargic she looked. “You should sleep, you must be very tired.”

He guides her to the bed at the corner of the room. Her heart beat quickened from his touch and his actions. She lets herself be led by Jaehyun. She climbs into the bed and lays her head on the pillow. He covers her with the blanket as he looks at her with the warmest gaze.

Jaehyun had so many urges at the moment, including the impulse to kiss her lips, but suppressed all of them. He leaned in slowly, he decided that he’ll settle for a kiss on the head, just like what he did at the dorm. He was observing her, waiting for her to push him away if she wanted him to stop but she remained still and was looking up at him eagerly.

He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead then whispered, “close your eyes and go to sleep Hyeyoon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What could be the aftermath of the sasaeng attack? Please look forward to the upcoming chapters!


	13. Turning Point Part 1

Jaehyun sat cross-legged on the floor right beside the bed as Hyeyoon slept soundly. He was mesmerized by how innocently beautiful she looked while sleeping. She didn’t deserve any of the harassment she experienced this morning, he thought as he watched her.

He tried to recall what words the sasaeng fans were shouting at her but he couldn’t make anything out of his memory. He could only remember the panic in his heart when he saw Hyeyoon get attacked and the anger he feels for each and every one of those stalkers. They don’t even deserve to be called fans after what they did.

He noticed the sun was beginning to set; everyone must be home at the dorms now. He’s been thinking of what course of action to take to teach those sasaengs a lesson but he couldn’t come up with anything right now. He was still too agitated to think reasonably.

Jaehyun decided it would be best if he called their manager, Ingyu hyung, and tell him what happened. Even though he knows he should tell their leader Taeyong first but he decides against it. He thinks Taeyong would let his feelings for Hyeyoon get in the way of good judgement, just like Jaehyun.

He goes out of the apartment as quietly as possible so he wouldn’t wake Hyeyoon from her nap. He takes one more glance at her sleeping figure before he shuts the door slowly. After a few rings, Ingyu picks up Jaehyun’s call.

“Jaehyun what’s the matter?” Ingyu speaks, he sounds like he’s driving their company van.

“Hyung something happened to Hyeyoon this morning,” Jaehyun begins but he’s interrupted by a very alarmed Haechan.

“What?! Jaehyun hyung, what happened to noona?” Haechan spoke loudly.

“She got attacked by our sasaengs on her way to our dorm this morning.”

He hears Haechan cussing furiously in the background. He didn’t mean for Haechan, and the others to hear about the assault this way. Jaehyun also figured Mark and Jungwoo were certainly also listening in, the four of them were probably going home from the photoshoot.

“What? What did they do to her?” Ingyu asks. SM would not like to hear this especially a few days before the boys’ comeback, he thinks to himself.

“I’ll tell you the details when I get back to the dorm later,” Jaehyun answers.

Jaehyun still doesn’t know everything that those sasaengs did to Hyeyoon but he’ll try to ask her later when she wakes up, if she feels comfortable enough to tell him. He wanted to get the facts right before he tells Ingyu and the rest of the members.

“Where are you now hyung?” Jungwoo suddenly asks. He was quietly listening to the conversation while exchanging looks of concern with Mark who was seated beside him.

Jungwoo was worried about Hyeyoon but he was also worried about his roommate. He hopes Jaehyun didn’t do anything rash to the sasaengs. He’s been observing his hyung this past week and he’s got a hunch that something happened to him and their housekeeper when they were alone in the apartment last Monday. If he’s intuition is correct, Jaehyun definitely likes Hyeyoon and when you see the girl that you like get hurt, you could momentarily lose your mind and do something that could cause a scandal.

This is the worst timing for a scandal, Jungwoo thinks. Their repackaged album and new music video will be coming out on Tuesday next week, just a few days from today. He’s suddenly reminded about what happened last year, when they released Simon Says and a scandal broke out right before their comeback. It affected their sales and they barely got any music show wins. Not that their group’s performance on the charts mattered to Jungwoo, he was just happy to be able to live his dream of becoming an idol. What concerns him is how it affects the way their company treats them. When you don’t make a lot of money, the company tends to neglect you and gives you fewer opportunities.

Jaehyun pauses before answering, “I’m at Hyeyoon’s house right now taking care of her.”

“You’re at her place?” Haechan repeated incredulously.

Jaehyun knew the maknae would react this way. He lowers his phone and sighs, so they wouldn’t hear him. He tells them he’ll talk to them in person about everything and hangs up.

“Could Hyeyoon noona be badly hurt? I’m so worried hyung!” Haechan says as he and Ingyu enter the 5th floor dorm.

Taeyong, Doyoung, and Johnny were all hanging out in the kitchen, eating snacks when they overheard Haechan’s loud talking. Taeyoung and Doyoung were particularly affected by what they just heard. Is Hyeyoon hurt _again_? Taeyong thought. He still felt guilty about the time she fell and sprained her ankle. She got injured and missed a day of work because of him.

The three of them came out of the kitchen, wearing very alarmed expressions on their faces, to meet Haechan and Ingyu and ask what was going on. Doyoung was the first one to speak, “what do you mean Hyeyoon is hurt?”

“Apparently, sasaengs suddenly attacked her this morning but we don’t know all the details. Only Jaehyun knows since he was there when it happened,” Ingyu explained.

“Sasaengs attacked her?” Doyoung was furious. He’s called the cops on those stalkers at least once and have confronted them multiple times. He was livid that they dared to hurt Hyeyoon.

“That’s the only thing Jaehyun hyung said,” Haechan says as he plops down tiredly on the sofa.

“He’s at her apartment right now, taking care of her,” he adds with a clear tinge of jealousy.

“Why don’t we ask the building’s security officer for the cctv footage? She probably got attacked right outside of our condominiums building cause that’s where all the sasaengs wait around,” Johnny was the only one thinking smartly.

“You’re right, let’s go down there now,” Taeyong says and they all headed down to the first floor. A single staff member was seated behind the counter in the lobby, he smiles and bows as he sees the men approaching. He knew what they would be asking for.

“Hello gentlemen, how may I help you?” he politely inquired.

“There was an assault that happened infront of the building this morning, do you know about it?” Doyoung asked.

“Yes, there was an incident this morning. First of all, I’d like to apologize that the security team didn’t handle the situation. The guards thought it was an isolated case, a petty fight among young girls that didn’t involve any of the building residents that’s why they didn’t interfere. We only found out that it was your housekeeper who was getting attacked when Mr. Jaehyun came out to help her.”

“So the guards just stood by while someone was being pounded on?” Haechan couldn’t believe how incompetent and apathetic these so called guards are.

Johnny put a hand on Haechan’s chest to calm the younger member down. “We understand, it’s out of your line of responsibility but you could have done something instead of just letting it happen” Johnny says calmly.

“I’m really sorry for our actions Mr. Johnny,” the employee bows.

“Do you have the cctv footage of what happened?” Taeyong asks.

“Yes, we were planning to give it to your manager, Mr. Ingyu tomorrow. It’s in this flashdrive,” he hands Taeyong a small black USB.

“If you need anything more, I’ll gladly assist you.”

“No this is fine, thank you,” Ingyu dismisses the employee and ushers the guys back to the elevators. He didn’t want to them to cause a scene at the lobby where a lot of people might see. It’s his job to monitor everyone and keep them from doing something scandalous.

The guys were giving Ingyu looks but they realized he was just doing his job as their manager to keep their images from getting tarnished. They all head back to their apartment to watch the cctv footage.

“You’re awake now?” Jaehyun says as he comes back into the apartment.

Hyeyoon was seated on the edge of the bed, looking much better than she did this morning. She nods and smiles shyly at Jaehyun, she felt kind of weird that she was alone with him in her sister’s place. Looking at his handsome face, reminded her of the two times he’s kissed her on her head.

He’s always been kind to her but you don’t just kiss someone just because you’re kind, right? She didn’t mind the kisses, in fact, she welcomed them. The first time, she was still too shaken up from the attack that it didn’t really register in her mind. But after the second one, she couldn’t shake the feelings of faintness and ecstasy that he was causing.

When she was getting jumped by the hostile NCT fans, she genuinely thought they were going to kill her in broad daylight. She didn’t expect that Jaehyun would be there to save her. If it wasn’t for him, she would have had another major panic attack just like when she saw her aunt collapse during her first night in Seoul. She doesn’t know why, but Jaehyun managed to calm her and stop her anxiety. He was able to do something that the qualified medical officer couldn’t even do without giving her sedatives.

But what happened wasn’t caused by the memory of her father’s death, it was because of the intense fear she felt being surrounded and nearly trampled on by a dozen of people. She was on her way to work when the girls suddenly ganged up on her. They started pushing her around while swearing at her and calling her awful names. She didn’t understand why they were acting rudely to her.

“Stay away from Taeyong oppa, you ugly slut!” they screamed while they poured rotten milk all over her.

When she heard that, it all dawned on her why this was happening. They were probably mad when they saw Taeyong driving her home last week. She was right when she sensed somebody was watching when she got into his car. She should have said no and stayed away from him.

“You’re just Taeyong’s housekeeper, so know your place you dumb whore!” they shouted while they grabbed her bag and poured out all her things on the ground.

“You’re just a piece of useless trash, just like this cheap bag!” they yelled while they ripped the bag that her Hyerim unnie bought for her.

She felt helpless and was just frozen in place as she watched them tear the bag that meant so much to her. It was the very first thing Hyerim bought for her, and it pained her to see them treat it like a piece of garbage. Her anxiety was beginning to get out of hand; she tried to calm herself by drowning out their blaring voices through covering her ears.

Her vision was getting blurry because of the milk and tears in her eyes, making it difficult for her to see. She felt somebody wrapping their arms around her and thought it was one of the girls but she recognized it was Jaehyun. Her head was spinning and her entire body was trembling so she doesn’t remember much after Jaehyun came.

All she thought while she was being carried away from the scene was, “Jaehyun’s here. He’s here and he’s going to keep me safe.” What he did for her today, meant a lot for Hyeyoon and made her see her true feelings.

She realized now why she was able to manage her emotions for Taeyong. It’s because what she felt for him was a mixture of infatuation, her lack of experience with guys, and her fascination at his ethereal face. But what she felt for Jaehyun was different, she feels safe when he’s around. When he kissed her, she felt like she was protected, appreciated, and _loved_.

Jaehyun takes a seat beside her on the bed, their proximity made her feel shivers on her skin. She looks at him in the eye and he looks back at her with the softest smile.

“I know it’s too abrupt and crazy but I like Jaehyun, a lot,” Hyeyoon thought as she stared at his beautiful brown eyes that looked like pools of warm honey as they reflected the sunset shining through the window.

“You’re beautiful Hyeyoon…” Jaehyun suddenly whispered.

“You think I’m beautiful?” she echoed his words quietly.

Jaehyun couldn’t control himself anymore. “Yes,” he says before leaning in and placing his lips against hers.

Hyeyoon let her eyes close and allowed herself to feel his soft moist lips on her own. He cradled her face gently as he deepened the kiss more. It felt like his touches were causing small electric shocks on her skin. Jaehyun tilts his head slightly as he pecks her bottom lip, lightly grazing it with his tongue. The sensation made Hyeyoon lightheaded, she held on Jaehyun’s shoulder for support.

Her touch encouraged him and pulls her even closer, caressing her back as he kissed her again and again. It was Hyeyoon’s first kiss and she had no idea what she was doing but she let her body move on its own. She responds to his lips’ every movement and she didn’t realize she was getting out of breath when he momentarily breaks away to get some air.

Jaehyun couldn’t believe what was happening. The girl who owns his heart was allowing him to kiss her like this. He was breathless but he wanted more of her. He returns to kiss her, a bit more aggressively this time. Her lips tasted like salted caramel and he was intoxicated by her scent; vanilla with a hint of rose.

“I like you Hyeyoon.”

“I like you too, Jaehyun,” she answers back without hesitation.

He smiles and trails kisses around her face, leaving her lips last. He lightly brushed his lips on her and whispered “I like you” once again before fully sealing their lips together.

“What do you want to order for dinner?” Jaehyun asks as he scrolls through the menu on the online food delivery app.

Jaehyun had his arms around Hyeyoon, he held her tightly in a back hug not wanting to let her go. She was preparing the rice for their meal. They both felt high, like they were floating amongst the clouds. Hyeyoon didn’t care about anything other than Jaehyun right now.

“Just order anything,” she says turning to him and he gives her a peck on the lips.

“Okay,” he says and kisses her again. She giggles and tries to turn her attention back to washing the rice but he was distracting her with a barrage of kisses on her neck. She didn’t know her neck could feel so sensitive, the sensation was stirring something else inside her.

Jaehyun realized what he was doing and stopped. He unwraps himself from her and turns around, feeling the heat on his ears. I have to control myself, he thinks as he punches the air to dispel the urges within him. Hyeyoon lightly slaps her cheeks as she concentrate on getting the rice cooked.

Soon the two of them were sitting on the floor, waiting for the delivery to arrive. Jaehyun was holding her hand, just playing around with it while they waited. If he kissed her again, he doesn’t think he’d have the willpower to stop himself from doing more than just kissing.

He all of a sudden noticed a bruise on her lower left arm. Those sasaeng bitches will pay for what they did to her. “Does it hurt?” he says lightly placing a finger close to the bruise.

“Only a little,” she says smiling to reassure him.

“Do you want to tell me what exactly those people did to you?” he looks at her in the eye. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” he adds.

“No, I can talk to you about it. If it wasn’t for you, I would have gotten even more hurt.”

Hyeyoon tells Jaehyun the whole incident and added all the details she could remember. His smile gradually disappeared while his forehead became creased with worry and his fists were tightly clenched with anger. After recalling the event, she smoothed out his furrowed brows and unclenched his fists, giving soft kisses on them to calm him down.

“I’m so sorry that had to happen to you,” he tells her.

“No don’t apologize, it wasn’t your fault oppa.”

His smile returns when he hears her say oppa. He gives her a hug and whispers, “do you know you drive me insane when you call me that way?”

She shakes her head as he lets go of her. The doorbell rings, “our food is here!” she tells him.

“I’ll be right back,” he says kissing her cheek before getting up to the front door.

As she watched him walk out, she was hit by the actuality that Jaehyun is really here with her and he likes her just as much as she likes him. This is the happiest she’s ever felt in her entire life.


	14. Turning Point Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A heart breaking is audible.

Despite being full from the delicious meal he shared with his date, Taeil returns home feeling light as air. The dinner with Hyerim went extremely well and they agreed to go on another date tomorrow. They planned to spend the afternoon together at Han River Park. They both wanted to try the couple bikes and eat ramen while enjoying the scenery.

Taeil entered the tenth floor dorm with a huge grin on his face. He sees Mark and Jungwoo who were discussing very seriously on the living room couch. He thought the atmosphere was weird, like something bad happened.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” he asks the two younger members.

They didn’t notice Taeil coming in, “oh hey hyung, back from your date?” Mark greets him.

“How did it go, hyung?” Jungwoo asks.

“It went really great,” Taeil says with a broad smile but he turns serious when he asks, “what were you guys talking about before I came in?”

“Hyeyoon noona got attacked by sasaengs this morning,” Mark says, clearly displeased by the situation.

“What? Is she alright?” Taeil was surprised to hear the news. Hyerim is probably very worried about her younger sister, Taeil thought.

“We don’t know yet, Jaehyun hyung is at her apartment taking care of her,” Jungwoo answers.

“Why don’t we go and check up on her now? So we could also pick up Jaehyun,” Taeil suggested. He was genuinely concerned about Hyeyoon but it was also an excuse to see Hyerim again. Although he saw her less than an hour ago, he already missed her.

“That’s a great idea hyung! Let’s go,” Mark gets up from the couch.

“By the way, where’s Yuta hyung? I haven’t seen him all day,” Jungwoo says, remaining seated.

“Huh? He’s not here? I thought he went straight home after our gym session this morning,” Taeil quickly checked their bedroom but Yuta wasn’t there. Where could his roommate be?

“Let’s head down to the 5th floor, maybe he’s hanging out there,” Mark says and tries to pull Jungwoo up but he doesn’t budge.

Jungwoo’s got a strange hunch that he shouldn’t go with them to Ms. Han’s place. He doesn’t know why but he thinks he might end up witnessing something he’s not supposed to see.

He groans, “I feel tired from the photoshoot.”

“Do you feel sick hyung?” Mark asks.

“No, just tired. You can go without me,” Jungwoo tells them.

“You should go to sleep early tonight, you might have caught a flu virus or something,” Taeil pats Jungwoo’s shoulder before he and Mark leave.

“That was weird, even for Jungwoo hyung,” Mark tells Taeil as they rode the elevator going down. “He was perfectly fine when we were talking together earlier.”

“Don’t think too much about it, maybe Jungwoo’s really just tired,” Taeil tells him as they get off the elevator.

They enter the dorm without ringing the doorbell and find everyone gathered in front of a laptop in the living room. They were intently watching the screen. Haechan was seated on the ground, holding the wireless mouse in his right hand. Beside him was their manager, Ingyu, who looked the most nervous out of everybody. The others, Johnny, Taeyong and Doyoung were all seated on the couch right behind them.

“What are you guys watching?” Taeil approaches the five guys huddled together.

They all look up from the screen and are surprised to see that Taeil and Mark had just arrived. Ingyu answers, “we’re watching the cctv footage of the assault that happened this morning, I’m sure you already know about it.” Ingyu turns to Taeil who nods in response.

Mark and Taeil find their own spots around the laptop to watch the footage with the rest of the guys. Haechan was trying to look for the right moment when Hyeyoon got attacked.

“What time is Hyeyoon noona supposed to be in our dorm to work, Ingyu hyung?” Haechan asks.

“Um, I think she’s supposed to be in around 9:30?” Ingyu wasn’t exactly sure.

Haechan fast forwards the video to the time Ingyu mentioned and there they saw Hyeyoon getting surrounded by sasaengs whose faces they could recognize because they saw the same faces repulsively waiting outside their dorms nearly every day.

“Hyeyoon! Unnie’s ho-,” Hyerim stops in her tracks when she sees Jaehyun washing the plates together with her younger sister.

The two of them halt what they’re doing and turn around from the sink where they see Hyerim standing in shock. Who is this strange but handsome man inside my studio apartment? The older sister thought while she eyed Jaehyun. Hyeyoon and Jaehyun exchange brief looks of panic.

“Who are you?” Hyerim inquires, trying her best not to sound rude.

“Hello Ms. Han, I’m Jaehyun! It’s nice to meet you,” he was flustered but did his best to give Hyeyoon’s older sister a good first impression. He bows at her and smiles politely.

“I’m a member of NCT 127, just like Taeil hyung,” he adds.

Hyerim was confused. Why would he be here with Hyeyoon? The two of them _alone_? She gave Hyeyoon a skeptical look while the younger one gives her sister an awkward smile.

“How did your date with Mr. Taeil go, unnie?” Hyeyoon asks, trying to relax the awkward tension that was slowly forming.

Her unnie smiles timidly before answering, “it went quite well.”

The three of them suddenly fell silent. Both Jaehyun and Hyeyoon felt like they were caught doing something criminal while Hyerim was having thinking all sorts of thoughts about what the two of them did while they were alone. Jaehyun clears his throat and decides he should explain what happened today.

“Actually Ms. Han, I’m here with Hyeyoon because she got assaulted by sasaeng fans this morning.”

“Assaulted?! Sasaeng fans? What are those?” Hyerim has never heard of that term before, she didn’t know what it meant. But she was more alarmed hearing that her younger sister got assaulted.

“Why don’t you take a seat first unnie,” Hyeyoon suggested before she let Jaehyun continue talking.

The three of them take the seats around the small round dining table in the middle of the apartment before Jaehyun and Hyeyoon relay to Hyerim the events that transpired during the morning.

Hyerim quietly listened to the two of them talk. But, by the end of it she was beyond furious, “what kind of people are those girls?! They don’t seem sane! Are you sure you’re not hurt, Hyeyoon?”

“I’m truly fine unnie, if it really wasn’t for Jaehyun oppa I would have…” Hyeyoon doesn’t let herself say the words: panic attack. She feels like just saying them aloud will trigger one.

“Thank you so much Mr. Jaehyun!” Hyerim gives him a sincere grateful smile.

“No Ms. Han, I can’t accept your thanks. I should be apologizing. It was our group’s fault that Hyeyoon had to go through that. I’ll talk to our manager and see what action we can do against those people.”

“Yes, those so called sasaeng fans deserve to be punished for what they did!”

It was getting late and Jaehyun knew he should start going. The members are probably worried sick about Hyeyoon and they’re going to ask him a lot of questions about what ensued. He gets up and tells the two sisters that he’s leaving now.

“Why don’t you see him out, Hyeyoon,” Hyerim suggested.

Hyeyoon blushed at her sister’s remark but she’s secretly thankful that Hyerim said it. Hyeyoon wanted to say good night to Jaehyun properly and it would be too awkward if her unnie’s around.

“Have a good night Ms. Han,” Jaehyun tells Hyerim before he and Hyeyoon leave.

“Those fucking sasaengs have crossed the line! We need to goddamn sue every one of those bitches!” Doyoung shouts after they finished watching the cctv recording. He gets up and smashes his closed fists on the wall.

Haechan slams his laptop shut and fans his shirt to cool his mad body down. The rest of the guys remained stuck in their places but they were all mirroring fuming looks on their faces. They felt absolutely sorry towards Hyeyoon. She had to suffer because of their group’s crazy stalker fans!

Ingyu was the only one wearing a scared expression on his face, he was sweating bullets from the anxiety he was feeling. This is big trouble if this doesn’t get controlled.

“I wonder what those crazy girls were screaming at Hyeyoon? It seemed like they were saying something about Taeyong?” Johnny spoke.

Taeyong turned around to face Johnny, “I thought they were saying my name too.” He buries his face in his hands and groans from frustration and resentment. Those sasaengs probably saw me driving Hyeyoon and confronted her because of me! It’s my fucking fault! Taeyong thought.

Mark could see that Taeyong was holding himself responsible for what happened. He lays a hand on their leader’s shoulder, “hyung, don’t blame yourself. It’s those sasaengs who did it!”

“I think we should head to Ms. Han’s place and check if she’s alright. Jaehyun’s still there too,” Taeil suggested again.

“Let’s go now,” Haechan said as he twisted his knuckles in anger.

“Guys, why don’t you all calm down first before we do anything,” Ingyu says, trying to control the situation.

“You’re right, Taeil hyung. I can’t just stay put after knowing what happened,” Doyoung agrees to their oldest member’s plan.

“Doyoung, please calm down first!” Ingyu pleaded.

“No, I cannot calm the fuck down hyung! Didn’t you see the shit they did to Hyeyoon?! Would you be okay if you witnessed the girl you like getting hurt like that?!”

Everyone was frozen after Doyoung’s explosion. He has never raised his voice to their manager ever and his confession made his outburst even more shocking. The only one who knew about Doyoung’s feelings was Taeyong but he was the most stunned of them all. Hearing his best friend reveal to everyone his feelings for Hyeyoon without a single shred of doubt made him see Doyoung as a competitor rather than a comrade.

“Your comeback is in four days,” Ingyu reminds them quietly.

They all remained hushed, not one of them looking at another. They know if they take action towards those sasaengs, they might retaliate by trying to start a nasty rumor against any of the members. A scandal could come out claiming that one of the members is dating their housekeeper. It could go wrong in so many ways.

“We know hyung…” Taeyong spoke up, he is the leader after all.

“I’m sorry Ingyu hyung but I have to see her. I need to see if she’s alright so I can feel at ease,” Doyoung said looking at Ingyu with angry tears in his eyes.

“Then I’ll drive you there,” Ingyu says as if surrendering in defeat. He wordlessly gets the van keys and goes out of the dorm as they all watched him.

Haechan gets up and follows Ingyu outside. Taeyong and Doyoung briefly look at each other before trailing behind. Johnny and Mark, along with Taeil who proposed going to Hyeyoon’s place, were all unsure if they should go. The three of them understood this wasn’t just about Hyeyoon getting assaulted by their sasaengs. This was a battle between three men who liked the same person.

They didn’t know a fourth man has already won.

“I’m sorry for lashing out on you, Ingyu hyung,” Doyoung apologizes as they waited for the elevator to arrive.

“It’s okay Doyoung,” Ingyu pats him in the back. Their manager never felt any anger towards Doyoung. Ingyu sighs as he thinks about how chaotic the coming days will be.

The elevator opens, revealing an irate Yuta who had his hands in pockets, “where are you all heading?”

They were wondering why he seemed so angry. Does he know about Hyeyoon’s incident?

“If know you’re wondering where I’ve been all this time and why I seem so pissed off, I was at the police station,” Yuta says stepping out of the elevator.

“What were you doing there?!” Ingyu was beginning to have a migraine. The trouble the guys were getting in to seemed to grow which means more bad news for him.

“I was coming home after meeting a friend when I saw the sasaengs who we’ve been seeing around for the past weeks and I lost my temper, so I reported each and every one of those psychos to the police.”

He took his hands from his pockets and continued, “I had to sit at the police station and explain everything, don’t worry I called the company and they sent a lawyer there to assist me,” he looks at Ingyu who was starting to sweat again.

“Those crazy people ended up slipping that they actually assaulted Ms. Han this morning! Can you believe that?! Some of them were minors so they all couldn’t be detained-“

“What? They admitted themselves to the police they that they hurt Ms. Han?” Doyoung was about to laugh at how dumb those people were.

“Wait, you know about it?” Yuta didn’t expect the news to come out so fast. Did the company tell the other members right away or something?

“We’ll explain it to you later! Let’s go,” Taeyong runs towards the elevator doors that were about to close.

“Thank you hyung!” Haechan says as he passes by Yuta before entering the elevator.

“You’re welcome?” Yuta stands confused as he watches the doors close.

“I’m so glad Yuta hyung reported them! I’ve had enough of those sasaengs! Plus the company also decided to help too, **finally**!” Haechan was extremely pleased that things were getting resolved.

He was happy that the sasaengs were getting punished for the constant violation of the group’s privacy that they’ve been doing and most importantly for hurting Hyeyoon.

“Do I turn left here, Taeyong?” Ingyu asked. They were all in the van, going to Hyeyoon's apartment. Taeyong was the only person who knew where it was. Doyoung and Haechan were hiding their jealousy towards their leader.

“Yes hyung, it’s that building over there,” Taeyong points to a 10-storey brick building a few meters from them.

Ingyu parks the car at a spot very close by. Everyone was about to get off the van but stop when they notice that Hyeyoon and Jaehyun were right outside the apartment building.

“Are you going to be okay now?”

Jaehyun holds Hyeyoon’s small hand in his. She gives his hand a squeeze and nods her head with a smile on her face.

“Can I see you tomorrow?” he asks her.

“Yes,” she blushes as she answers him.

He leans in and kisses her, “see you tomorrow beautiful.”

Ingyu could practically hear Taeyong, Doyoung and Haechan’s hearts simultaneously breaking as they watched Hyeyoon and Jaehyun share a kiss.


	15. No Longer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She no longer needs me...

** Haechan **

I told myself before that I would give up on my feelings for Hyeyoon noona if I found out she liked someone else.

I knew that my competition for Hyeyoon noona’s heart was Doyoung hyung. I thought that he was my **only** rival. Then I find out Taeyong hyung also likes her! He basically announced it when he told everyone at the elevator yesterday that he was going to ask Hyeyoon noona if she wanted a ride home.

I kind of lost hope that I could win her affection when the three of us were at the laundry room the other day. I saw the confidence in Taeyong hyung’s eyes when he talked to her. I had a sense that the two of them had been out together a couple of times. I felt like I was the third wheel!

But then when noona turned him down, I gained hope again. I believed that I still had a chance with her. I wanted Hyeyoon noona to see me as a man. I thought that maybe if I went to her house after the sasaeng attack she would realize that I care about her and I’m a man who can protect her.

Now I discover that someone else was ahead of the race all along. Jaehyun hyung was the hidden opponent that I didn’t uncover. Prince Jaehyun swooped in for the kill and got the princess. Meanwhile, here I am the heartbroken knight who never got the chance to shine in his armor.

I should surrender now and admit defeat.

** Doyoung **

I had it all figured out. Or so I thought.

I was convinced that I knew everyone who liked Hyeyoon. Haechan, being the loud teenager that he is, was easy. Then my best friend comes out and reveals he likes her too which made the situation complicated. It didn’t sit well for me that we like the same person.

I’ve been close friends with Taeyong for years now and over that time we’ve had our fair share of fights. But, it was never about love and dating. It would usually be something petty or something that involved the group. Frankly, I didn’t know what to make of the circumstance. I mean, what would you do if you found out your best friend likes the same girl as you? Would you back off or would you fight?

I hoped the three of us could have a fair competition; Haechan, Taeyong, and I. But all this time, I was blindsided by Jaehyun who was actually our true opponent. Why didn’t I notice him these past few weeks? I was so focused on Taeyong and Haechan that I failed to grasp that Jaehyun was growing feelings for Hyeyoon too.

Seeing her in his arms now. Him kissing her under the night sky. It pains me. I was so worried that she was seriously hurt because of those sasaengs. I wanted to rush to her and ask her if she was okay. I wanted to be the one to care for her. But somebody else has beaten me to it.

However, I’m not the type of person who gives up without a fight.

It’s not over yet.

** Taeyong **

I spent my morning and afternoon at the studio to work on my music but I was often distracted by thoughts of Hyeyoon. I thought deeply about my feelings for her and I finally made up my mind to confess to her tonight. I _was_ planning to sneak out of our dorm without anyone noticing and driving to her apartment. I _was_ going to tell her in person that I like her **a lot**.

But, things got difficult when I found out she got assaulted by our group’s sasaengs. What makes it even worse is that she got attacked because of ME. I had a sense that someone might have seen me driving her home during that day we ate that drive-thru meal together but I thoughtlessly brushed it off thinking that maybe it was someone who didn’t know who I was.

Hyeyoon got insulted and battered because of me! This isn’t even the first time she got hurt due to my actions. I approached her in a dark parking lot, like a fucking creep! Comparable to any normal girl walking alone at night, she probably thought I was a mugger or a rapist. She got scared so she ran away. She ended up injuring herself and had to miss a day of work because of me! I should have known by then that I bring nothing but trouble to her.

She was right to decline my offer to give her another ride home yesterday. Although honestly I was very hurt when she turned me down. I was so surprised when she said no because I believed I was making progress with her and assumed we’ve become closer. But the way she looked at me at the laundry room, like I was someone she didn’t want to be with, really pained me.

Still, I hoped I could change that if I confessed to her. That’s why I agreed to come with the other members to her home, I knew it wouldn’t be the perfect moment for a confession. But I felt like I was running out of time after Doyoung’s sudden revelation to everyone. I needed her to know how I felt about her. How I tried to drive her home whenever I could because it’s the only excuse I could come up with to spend time with her. I desired to hold her in my arms again and always be with her. I longed to become someone she could rely on. Someone she could trust to share her worries with.

I could see it in her eyes, a sadness that comes out whenever she falls quiet and looks away towards the empty distance; as if she was still carrying a heavy burden in her heart. However, I never brought it up because I knew I needed to gain her trust first. I wanted to wait for her to tell me about her sadness on her own.

But now, I see that she no longer needs me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short but meaningful chapter. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and commenting on this story! I hope you're enjoying it. I know I'm not a very good writer but I put in a lot of effort into each and every part of this fanfic so I really appreciate every one of you. Please look forward to the 5 remaining chapters of Temporary Housekeeper!


	16. A Cut and A Call

“Are you sure you’re going to be fine being alone?” Hyerim asks her younger sister once again.

She’s going out for her date with Taeil but she’s worried about leaving her sister by herself in the apartment. Hyerim is afraid Hyeyoon might have another panic attack with no one there to help her.

“Don’t worry unnie, have fun on your date!” Hyeyoon gently pushes her sister out of the apartment.

“Call me if you need anything!” Hyerim shouts before she leaves.

Hyeyoon nods and waves goodbye to her unnie. She’s glad that things are going well between Hyerim and Taeil. She’s never seen her older sister this way before and she hopes they’ll have a long-lasting relationship.

Thinking about relationships, Hyeyoon's thoughts wander to Jaehyun. Her cheeks heat up as she recalls everything that happened yesterday, except for the sasaeng attack which she absolutely wishes she could erase from her memory.

Jaehyun told her he was going to visit her today but he hasn’t called or texted her that he’s coming. She feels a bit disappointed that he didn’t keep his word but she tries not to let herself get too worked up about it. Maybe he’s busy with something urgent related to work and he needed to go to the company to deal with it.

Hyeyoon looks around the small apartment, trying to think of something fun or productive to do. She’s already done with all the housework and she’s finished reading all the books she bought. With nothing to do, she decides to lay on the bed and browse the internet on her cracked phone. Its screen got broken because of yesterday’s crazy encounter with the sasaengs but she doesn’t have any money to get it fixed or buy a new one.

She’s careful not to press too strongly on the shattered screen. She’s pretty sure she might get a cut from the small shards of split glass. She reads through a couple of articles on the internet that caught her attention.

About an hour later, she unexpectedly hears a knock on the front door. Caught in surprise, she suddenly presses on the screen too hard and ends up getting a small but harshly bleeding wound on her thumb.

“Ow!” she yelped. She gets up from the bed and runs to the sink to wash the blood off. She hears more knocks on the door, “just a moment please!” she says as she lets the water run through her wound.

It didn’t seem to have any effect as more blood continued to come out of the small graze. She hears the door open and someone taking their shoes off hurriedly. Hyeyoon turns around to find Jaehyun, who let himself in after becoming worried that something happened to Hyeyoon since she wasn’t opening the door.

“Are you okay?” he asks and immediately rushes to Hyeyoon’s side when he sees her hand covered in blood.

“What happened?!” he was holding a large white paper bag but he quickly places it on the floor and holds Hyeyoon’s bleeding hand.

Seeing his face scrunched up in worry, somehow comforted Hyeyoon. She pulls her hand off of Jaehyun’s grasp. Afraid that his hands might get covered in blood.

“It’s because of my cracked phone screen,” she says, feeling a little embarrassed.

Jaehyun finds Hyeyoon’s phone on top of the dining table and frowns when he sees its extremely damaged condition. He was about to tell her why she didn’t get it fixed but then he stops himself when he realizes she probably couldn’t afford it.

“Do you have any band aids here?” he starts to look around the kitchen cabinets and luckily finds a box of band aids right away.

He opens one and returns to where Hyeyoon was standing. The bleeding has stopped but the wound is still bright red. He grabs a couple of tissues and dabs her thumb dry before placing the band aid around it. He did it very carefully; making sure Hyeyoon wouldn’t feel anything at all.

“Thank you,” she tells him after he’s done.

“You’re welcome,” he says and plants a kiss on the back of her hand before letting it go.

“I thought you weren’t going to come, oppa” she admits, looking down on the floor feeling shy.

“I wanted to surprise you, look at this.”

Jaehyun removes a black box with a pretty pink ribbon from the paper bag he brought with him. He sets it down on the table and gestures for Hyeyoon to unwrap it.

“This is for me?” Hyeyoon asks in doubt. She didn’t think she deserves to receive any gifts from Jaehyun, let alone something expensive. Just from the box alone, she could tell it was costly.

Jaehyun nods and urges her to open it with a smile on his face, “please open it, Hyeyoon.”

She hesitantly unwraps the ribbon from the box and lifts the lid. A stylish leather handbag sits in the middle of white fancy wrapping paper inside the box. Hyeyoon has wanted to buy a nice bag such as this but she knows it’s too expensive and impractical for her to have.

“Do you like it?” Jaehyun says, looking at Hyeyoon’s expression which he couldn’t read.

“I do, it’s so pretty… but I don’t think I should accept this.”

“Why?” he kind of expected for her to say this.

“It’s too expensive and someone like me wearing this… I don’t think I suit it.”

“I wanted to give you a new bag since yours got ripped apart by those crazy girls yesterday… I didn’t want to see my girlfriend carrying her stuff around with just her hands.”

Hyeyoon’s heart skipped a beat when she heard “girlfriend”.

“I-I’m your girlfriend?”

“Aren’t you? Yesterday was our first day as boyfriend and girlfriend, right?” Jaehyun shows off his dimpled smile, making it difficult for Hyeyoon to concentrate on refusing his extravagant gift. Jaehyun was enjoying seeing her cute reaction.

“Ye-yes… I guess so, but still! I don’t think I should accept this bag right away! We only started dating yesterday oppa…” she returns the lid of the box and reties the ribbon.

Jaehyun sighs but he respects Hyeyoon’s refusal, “I understand. But how about I give you something else? Something that you really need!”

Before Hyeyoon could respond, Jaehyun grabs her broken phone from the table and shows it to her. “Let me buy you a new cellphone, please?”

“What? You don’t have to do that.”

“I’ll buy a nice one that’s not so expensive. Anyway, most phones cost way less than the bag I just bought you.”

Just how much does that bag cost? Hyeyoon wonders. She feels Jaehyun’s hand on her shoulders. He’s subtly guiding her towards the doorway.

“Let’s go buy one now, will that be alright with you?” he asks. Jaehyun wouldn’t force anything on her but he really wants to give something to Hyeyoon. A new phone is something that she needs and he wants to make up for the mess that their group’s sasaengs caused.

Hyeyoon stops and thinks for a few seconds before finally nodding which makes Jaehyun clap with joy. I guess getting a phone from her boyfriend would be okay plus she badly needs it. She doesn’t want to get any more cuts from her shattered screen. Her heartbeat quickens thinking about Jaehyun as _her_ _boyfriend_.

“Let’s go!” Jaehyun says excitedly and takes her hand.

The rest of the days flew by. With NCT 127’s comeback in full swing, Jaehyun and Hyeyoon had no time to meet. Even though he wanted to spare a few minutes to visit Hyeyoon at her apartment after their schedules, Jaehyun decides it’s better if he didn’t. He has to be extra careful to keep the media and the sasaengs out of Hyeyoon’s way, especially since all eyes are on the members of NCT during their comeback promotions.

Wednesday morning, Yuta somehow finds time to go with Hyeyoon to the police station to settle the assault incident. Jaehyun wanted to go but he had a personal schedule with some of the other NCT members.

“Thank you so much for reporting them to the police and for coming with me at the station today,” Hyeyoon says politely bowing to Yuta as they walk out of the building.

“It’s nothing really, those bitches- I mean sasaengs have been bugging us for months already. They deserve it! I am really glad you got compensated. But, you should have demanded for a higher price! 2 million won* is too little for what they did to you!”

(*2 million won = about 2,000 US dollars)

Hyeyoon laughs and shakes her head, “2 million is already a lot of money!”

“Are you hungry? I know a really great place nearby, let’s grab lunch before you head to the dorms and I go to my schedule,” he suggests.

“Sure! Please let me treat you to a meal to thank you for helping me, Mr. Yuta.”

“No! I should pay since I’m the older one here and please call me oppa. It feels too formal and awkward if you call me Mr. Yuta all the time,” he turns to her, smiling fondly.

Hyeyoon somehow reminds Yuta of his younger sister who’s in Japan. Being with her at the police department all morning, they had to do a lot of waiting since most of the officers were busy. The two of them found themselves enjoying each other’s company. Yuta has been feeling homesick after meeting his friends last Friday; they were his old classmates visiting from Japan. It made him miss his parents and sisters in his home country. But after spending the morning with Hyeyoon, he feels a little less homesick. It was as if he just spent time with his own sister.

“Follow me, my younger sister!” he says and starts walking.

Hyeyoon giggles and trails after Yuta. She unexpectedly finds his humor hilarious and she feels comfortable being alone with him. But she suddenly thinks about Jaehyun, he’ll probably be okay with me sharing a meal with Yuta, right? She thinks.

As if on cue, she feels her phone vibrating in her pocket. She feels her heart flutter from the thought of Jaehyun calling in to check up on her.

“Wait a minute Yuta oppa, someone’s calling me,” she tells him and they both stop walking.

“Let me guess, it’s Jaehyun?” Yuta raises an eyebrow.

“I think so,” Hyeyoon chuckles and grabs her phone from her pocket but she’s surprised to see that it was from an unknown number.

“Hello? Who is this?” she answers.

“Hyeyoon, it’s me. Your Auntie Mihyang! How are you?” Hyeyoon hears her aunt’s familiar voice.

“Auntie! I’ve been well! How about you? Are you and mom doing alright?”

“We’re both doing fine here in the countryside. It’s so difficult to get a signal in your town though! I’m visiting an old friend in a nearby town that’s why I could call you today.”

“Is that auntie?” Yuta asks. Hyeyoon nods and Yuta asks if he could say hello to her.

“I’m glad to hear that auntie. Please tell mom that I miss her and that me and Hyerim unnie are doing well here in Seoul. By the way, auntie, Yuta oppa would like to say hello to you,” Hyeyoon hands him the cellphone.

“Auntie! How are you? We miss you and your amazing cooking!” Yuta speaks happily on the phone. Hyeyoon could see that Yuta was genuinely excited to talk to her aunt.

“Yes auntie, Hyeyoon is a great cook just like you! Okay auntie, please take care of yourself and enjoy your break! I’m giving the phone back to Hyeyoon now,” Yuta returns the cellphone to Hyeyoon with a large grin, as if he talked with his own aunt which made Hyeyoon smile too.

“Hyeyoon, before I forget. I have something to tell you,” Aunt Mihyang speaks through the phone.

“What is it auntie?”

“I’ve decided to cut my break short, I’m going back to Seoul next week. I’ll arrive there this Sunday so you don’t have to work in the dorms on Monday.”

What? Aunt Mihyang is supposed to rest for 2 more weeks but she’s already going back to work?

“Are you sure you’re ready to go back to work auntie?” she asks.

“I’m getting bored here in the countryside and my side-dish customers might start leaving me if I don’t go back to selling! Well, I’m going to eat lunch with my friend now. Bye Hyeyoon and I'll see you on Sunday!”

“Goodbye auntie…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while but I finally updated!


End file.
